Chapter 15 You Jump, I Jump
The approaching person appeared to be around his own age, dressed in a dark trench coat.
In the afterglow of the sunset, that figure gradually overlapped with the image Sylvia had fantasized about in her maiden thoughts late at night.
However, in an instant.
Sylvia suppressed the fleeting flutter in her heart, turned her head slightly, and put on the cold expression she normally used to disguise and protect herself.
“Don’t come any closer.”
She was well aware of her own beauty’s allure to the opposite sex, coupled with her noble attire as a Duke’s daughter.
When outsiders didn’t know Sylvia’s true identity, it was perfectly normal to attract goodwill from strangers.
Who would refuse to help a noble young lady who looked pitiful and seemed to have run away from home?
This was exactly the standard opening scene, as sung by the bards, for every hero protagonist who achieved fame and success.
It was also the romantic encounter that every youth just departing from their starter village dreamed of.
But—
As soon as her true identity was exposed.
That originally gentle goodwill would, in an instant, transform into surging malice and hatred.
In her sixteen years of life, this kind of plot twist had played out more than once, leaving Sylvia numb to it, no longer harboring any groundless fantasies.
“I know you’re in a hurry, but please, don’t rush.”
“I didn’t mean anything else, I’m just here to ask if you want to be partners?”
“Partners?”
Sylvia repeated the word, which was somewhat unfamiliar to her.
“Temporary partners, Aibo, understand?”
“Appearing here at this time, you must be here to jump into the sea.”
“So this is a coincidence, isn’t it? I’m also here to jump into the sea.”
“It’s better to be lucky than to be timely, together?”
The unexpected words made Sylvia pause slightly.
It was during this moment that the youth deliberately took a few more steps, coming to Sylvia’s side.
Sylvia had expected him to take this opportunity to pull her away from the dangerous area by the cliff.
However, the youth in front of her didn’t seem to have such intentions.
He simply sat down casually by the cliff next to Sylvia, appearing as relaxed as if he just wanted to chat with someone.
“Why jump into the sea?”
“…”
Sensing Sylvia’s silence, the youth casually swung his dangling legs. “I just thought that even a death row inmate before execution should have a full meal.”
“It’s better to talk than to suffer with secrets until death. It doesn’t hurt to talk to each other.”
Unexpectedly, since the appearance of the youth, Sylvia felt her always taut nerves relax a bit.
She spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. “For some reason, I uncontrollably caused the deaths of many people.”
“Among them, the vast majority were innocent people.”
“Because of this, almost everyone regards me as an object of hatred and disgust.”
Her words were tinged with a bit of loneliness and grievance.
To Sylvia, this was almost an unprovoked disaster.
Since her birth, the colossal Bronze Cross had stood within her Spiritual Ocean; she had no choice.
“Oh, I see.”
He didn’t offer comfort as Sylvia had expected.
He simply nodded casually and turned his gaze back to the surging tide below the cliff.
Being ignored like this, Sylvia felt a greater urge to express herself.
She pursed her dry lips and spoke softly, “Perhaps, those people were right.”
“A daughter of calamity, cursed like me, dying unknown like this, would be the best ending for both the Duchy and myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Then you are a pathetic butcher.”
Meaningful words echoed in Sylvia’s ears.
The overly direct words amplified the loneliness and grievance in Sylvia’s heart.
“Yes, I am a butcher. I personally caused the deaths of so many people. I should have been hanged…”
“No, you misunderstand my meaning.”
The youth by the cliff suddenly stood up and stretched.
He turned slightly, looking at Sylvia, his pitch-black eyes reflecting the blood-colored afterglow of the sunset.
“Since countless people believe you should die, then in this era where the legal system is extremely incomplete and there is no talk of equal human rights, you should have been executed the first time you lost control.”
“However, you are still alive and have grown to this day.”
“This indicates that killing you might be the wish of many, but it is by no means the hope of everyone.”
“And the reason I say you are a pathetic butcher is because when you decide to end your own life—”
“You are not only burying the lives you affected in the past, but you are also burying the lives of others, even your deceased mother, no exception.”
“Perhaps you think suicide is a form of atonement, but in reality, death is the easiest, and most cowardly choice.”
“Carrying the weight of other people’s lives and moving forward is always much more difficult than death.”
Having said that, the youth shrugged indifferently and cast his gaze back towards the Grant Sea below.
“Of course, none of this has anything to do with me.”
“After all, I’m just here to jump into the sea.”
As he spoke, he spread his arms, raised his feet, as if flying, embracing the fierce sea wind that rushed towards him.
“To be honest, when I was very young, I watched a movie. Oh, a movie is a form of magical imagery used to entertain the masses. You can think of it as a theatrical performance recorded by a Projection Array.”
“There was a very classic scene in that movie that I’ve always wanted to try for myself, but I never found the opportunity.”
“And now, before dying, I’ve finally found such an opportunity.”
“Besides…”
The youth’s words paused slightly.
He turned to look at Sylvia a few times, then nodded with satisfaction. “The maiden who accompanies me to the underworld is even more beautiful than the movie’s heroine.”
“So, it’s a deal.”
“After I jump, you have to jump too.”
“No backing out. I’m very afraid of being lonely and cold. If you really go back on your word, I will turn into a vengeful spirit and will not let you go.”
“Wait, I…”
Sylvia opened her mouth, about to say something.
However, before her words could come out, Sylvia saw the slender figure in front of her lean backward.
Next Moment, under the effect of gravity, he tilted and fell off the cliff in a backward posture.
A few seconds later, a faint splash was heard, accompanied by a tiny ripple on the sea.
When Sylvia snapped back to her senses and looked down the cliff.
What responded to her was only the roaring, booming Grant Sea, with no trace of the youth from before to be found.
