Chapter 434, Chapter 228: The Demon King’s Heart
Igget struggled to his feet, gazing at the stunningly beautiful girl in front of him, clad in a pure white robe with hair as white as snow.
“Senior, have you met me before?”
The white-haired girl before him appeared to be not much older than Verafia, yet Igget dared not underestimate her in the slightest. The mere fact that she had moved him to this space out of thin air was something Igget had never witnessed. Let alone anyone he had seen within the Saint Rank, Igget was almost certain that even his own father, Marquis Mays, was far inferior to this white-haired girl.
—In fact, the girl gave him a feeling akin to the immortal Duke Oran, whom he had personally witnessed in the City of Blood, and perhaps even surpassed him.
“Naturally.”
The white-haired girl’s delicate voice resonated like plucked strings in the silent air. She tilted her head slightly, a gentle smile gracing her exquisitely beautiful face. “However, Igget, that was merely me observing you. You needn’t mind it.”
What the girl spoke of was the trace of “End” she had seen in Igget’s hand for the first time in the Setting Sun Forest, on the outskirts of Blulandenburg Castle.
“Senior, you mean…”
Igget dared not show the slightest carelessness, and cautiously asked, “Is it because of Father?”
“Eggesti…? He is indeed an old acquaintance, but he alone is not enough for me to pay attention to you.”
The white-haired girl lightly shook her head. Suddenly, her exquisitely beautiful face softened, and her clear, pure eyes gazed upon the young man’s face.
“I have seen matters concerning you… To have achieved so much in just half a year, such progress, even in our time, would be considered outstanding. No wonder Brother Lothal chose you.”
“Senior, you mean… you know Lord Lothel?”
Igget’s heart suddenly trembled, and he raised his head, almost instinctively asking the question.
Verafia had once promised Igget that, considering his strength, she would selectively tell him about Lothel’s past.
However, over the past half-year, the girl had mostly spoken of Lothel’s sword techniques. Whenever Igget impatiently inquired, she would usually offer a brief, perfunctory answer, or dismissively say his strength was too weak, quite directly rejecting him.
Even Marquis Mays, or even Douglas, who had fallen by his sword, remained tight-lipped, seemingly wary of even mentioning that name… The white-haired girl before him was almost the first person to speak the name “Lothel” so freely and without reservation.
The girl merely shook her head gracefully, saying no more, her white hair brushing against her cheek:
“Brother Lothal’s sword is in your hand… I have not heard the name ‘End’ in decades, until now, when I see it in your hand.”
“Senior… Your meaning?”
“‘End’ is Brother Lothal’s treasured sword. A hundred years ago, when Brother Lothal was betrayed and fell in the land of Flame Origin, I was not by his side.”
The white-haired girl’s clear gaze fell upon the young man’s face: “You obtained this sword in that sea of flames. And beside you, there is a flame maiden.”
“Are you referring to Miss Verafia? Is she…”
“Igget, you are not foolish. That maiden, you know her identity—that noble Flame Princess, the colors of all flames in the world are but her will.”
The white-haired girl smiled gently, her melodious voice touching the traces of space. “For someone as noble as her to be willing to stay by your side?”
“Are you doubting Young Lady?”
The girl paid no mind to Igget’s sudden passionate tone, merely shaking her head slightly, a hint of frostiness in her gentle voice.
“I heard that all of Brother Lothal’s sword techniques were taught to you by that Flame Princess… How does she know Brother Lothal’s sword techniques, his past—moreover, the place where Brother Lothal fell was within her domain!”
Igget’s mind raced. Igget recalled what the stunningly beautiful Phoenix girl had said in a crisp voice when he was in the Fiery Abyss, and even what Verafia had said to the Wood Elf Girl in the past at Granite Highland.
Igget raised his head forcefully, a difficult voice brewing in his throat, and suddenly exclaimed:
“Are you saying that Lord Lothel was devoured by Young Lady—and even if he was, what of it? Veer told me about such things long ago.”
“Moreover, Lord Lothel was harmed by traitors. Even if he fell into Young Lady’s territory, what does that have to do with her!”
“You are defending her.”
The delicate voice was carried by the subtle flow of the wind.
The white-haired girl shook her head slightly, not showing much surprise at Igget’s reaction:
“Indeed, such a beautiful girl, and also a Flame Princess, the master of all fierce flames, willingly staying by your side, how could you resist her?”
“How can Young Lady and I be slandered by you like this—”
The white-haired girl raised her long eyelashes, her cold gaze falling on the young man’s face:
“However, if her will were completely erased, I am confident that Brother Lothal’s spirit and soul, which were devoured by her, could be resurrected.”
The white-haired girl’s gentle tone struck Igget’s ears like thunder. Igget’s mind went blank, but as if by instinct, he raised his eyes.
Lothel—this name, rooted in his heart since childhood, had influenced the young man’s entire life. In Igget’s heart, even his father, Marquis Mays, could not compare. As for Verafia…
Igget’s mind replayed snippets of the past:
It was the girl’s charming frown and smile, her stubborn and petulant voice, and, under the quiet moonlight, the girl’s exquisite and serene face, followed by a sudden gorgeous smile. Igget even recalled yesterday, when the girl, more beautiful than any artwork in time, unmindful of the filth and grime, was gentle and had a soft touch just like hers.
Every detail was a scene of standing beside her. Along with the memories, Igget’s feelings towards her name, from initial fear and calculation, gradually turned into cherish, becoming an inseparable part of his life.
Do I need to hesitate…?
The black-haired young man suddenly raised his eyes and shouted, “Why should I believe you—why should I harm Young Lady!”
“As expected, you cannot let go of her.”
The white-haired girl’s head tilted slightly, her gaze clear. “However, I still have the same question: Igget, why do you let her follow you?”
Igget forcefully raised his head, wanting to argue, but his voice seemed to get stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
The pure white girl showed no surprise at the young man’s reaction. A subtle smile graced her exquisitely beautiful face. Suddenly, her jade-like slender hand drew a curve in mid-air, and a dark, seemingly obscure crystalline prism fell into Igget’s hand.
“This is—”
“This is the heart of the thirty-seventh Demon King. If she truly harbors ill intentions towards you… Igget, even you can obtain the power to change the order of the world from it.”
The white-haired girl’s explanation came. She gazed deeply at the expression on Igget’s face and then gently smiled.
“…Of course, I think you will not desire a day when it is released. Igget, I look forward to our next meeting.”
—
In fact, when I was originally conceiving the outline, the relationship between the male protagonist and Veer was not this close at all. Or rather, there should have been a subtle blend of liking and fear… He should have been very hesitant.
At that time, I even wanted to joke, “Wife or idol, which one do you choose?” Hahaha.
