Chapter: Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 512: Curse Removal
Elsewhere, after waiting for thirty seconds without any players seeking him out, Xi Wei placed a sign on his throne and slipped away from the palace.
[On holiday today, business suspended.]
If you need a mount, go directly to the soldiers.
As for imparting skills, he would continue to be an NPC for the players when he had free time after he finished his current tasks.
Now, he was holding two eye-like Demon Eye Tree Fruits and hurrying towards a small building in the farthest corner of the first level of Winter Fort.
This small building looked out of place compared to the towering castle walls around it.
It was as if the solemn, militaristic decor had suddenly shifted to a natural style.
The entire small building was constructed of wood.
It was covered in ivy and adorned with numerous flowers, appearing from a distance like a cage full of blossoms.
This was the room self-built by the Demi-human Princess Sakura.
Ever since the Heart Puppet Curse was removed, she had been able to use some of her own strength. She had awakened her abilities as a Demi-human even before being captured by Lord Felton, though her powers were not particularly formidable.
She could communicate with all natural things, not just animals, but even elements like wind, rain, and lightning, with which she could converse.
Secondly, she could also transform into natural things.
She could change herself into any monster, even elemental beings.
The little hut she was living in had its wood delivered by monsters, and the flowers and plants adorning it were brought by birds specifically for her.
Such abilities undoubtedly made the surrounding maids very envious.
They often visited Sakura.
In that small cottage, all the seemingly lifeless things seemed to come alive. The pigeons of Winter City could even thread needles, the goldfish in the aquarium could dance, and even the simple-minded mountain finches could perform tricks at Sakura’s request.
Although the surrounding maids envied her, Sakura always felt like a failure.
In her opinion, Lori’s abilities could heal the injured and save lives, Ruo Yi’s abilities were even more terrifying, capable of pausing time and traveling through space-time, Bai Yao could transform into lightning and create terrifying lightning fields, You Ye excelled at assassination and was elusive, Xing Hai, who lived in the fountain, could stir up storms, and even Nina, who handled logistics, could provide a stable supply of minerals for the Wintery Empire, eliminating their worries about a lack of rare minerals. Her own abilities, however, were of no use to Xi Wei or the country.
The curse that plagued her, coupled with her low self-esteem, tormented this princess daily with all sorts of negative emotions. Although she maintained a cheerful demeanor in front of the other maids, as night fell and they bid farewell and went home, she would hide in a corner, gaze at the moon outside, and weep.
Today was no different.
The moonlight outside was exceptionally bright.
Sakura’s mind began to wander back to the man who had saved all Demi-humans and was now about to save her. She desperately wanted to make a good impression on him, but now she had become a complete burden and trouble.
She shook her head.
She forced herself to empty her mind.
She admonished herself not to dwell on such thoughts.
Because she could not harbor these feelings; they would bring disaster to that man and the maids who cared about her.
She wanted to recall some happy memories to comfort herself.
But looking back, she found that all of them were filled with pain.
The pain of a shattered kingdom and a lost home, of constant displacement.
The pain of learning of her King father and Queen mother’s deaths.
The pain of realizing that the Demi-humans were being slaughtered with impunity, and she was powerless to stop it.
She had fought day and night in the forest just to gain the strength for revenge, only to be bewitched and captured by a demon, have her ears and tail clipped, and endure countless lashings and abuses in a cage.
She huddled in a corner.
Her shoulders trembled, and she sobbed.
Although the Heart Puppet Curse had been resolved, a pair of succubus wings had grown on her back, and a ring of crimson scales had appeared around her neck, resembling a collar from a distance.
She desperately wanted to remove the scales from her neck.
She also wanted to cut off the succubus wings.
But she didn’t want to cause any trouble for Lori.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The sudden knocking startled Sakura, making her shiver. She blinked her tear-blurred eyes and stared at the vibrating door, momentarily unable to comprehend who would come looking for her so late at night.
“W-who is it?”
She wiped away her tears, trying to compose herself, but her voice still trembled slightly.
“I am the King of Winter.”
A voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, came from outside the door.
“Y-Your Majesty? Is that really Your Majesty?”
Upon hearing this, Sakura was first flustered, then a mixture of joy and fear surged through her. She quickly stood up and moved in front of the mirror.
Her hair was messy.
Her face was dirty with tear streaks.
Her eyes were swollen like peaches.
She was still wearing a simple pajama set.
How could she meet him looking like this?
Furthermore, her curse had not yet been lifted; meeting the King of Winter would be dangerous…
“Do you, do you need something? It’s very late. If it’s nothing important, then… then perhaps you could ask Sister Lori to come tomorrow.”
Despite her heart aching, Sakura rationally refused.
“It’s nothing major.” Xi Wei outside the door glanced at the moon, then looked towards Lori’s room, where the light was dim, and a furtive figure was peeking from the windowsill.
He smiled slightly.
He deliberately raised his voice and said:
“I’ve found the Demon Eye Tree Fruit. I’ve come to help you remove the Love Poison Curse.”
As soon as he finished speaking,
The light in Lori’s room went out.
The petite figure hiding behind the curtain on the balcony also disappeared, likely having gone to bed.
Xi Wei turned his head back.
With a creak, the wooden door opened a crack.
Sakura peeked out from behind the door, revealing half of her pretty face and her large, red eyes, timidly looking outside.
“You, you found the Demon Eye Tree Fruit?”
Her voice trembled, sounding incredulous.
“Of course… Here, this is it.” Xi Wei showed Sakura the two large eyeballs in his hand and said with a smile, “Let’s be quick. Once I’ve finished removing the Love Poison Curse for you, I’m going to sleep. With this curse removed, you’ll be able to move freely around Winter City.”
Looking at the Demon Eye Tree Fruits in Xi Wei’s hand, Sakura felt goosebumps rise all over her body. However, this was indeed the Demon Eye Tree Fruit, exactly as described in the books.
He had truly found it.
Her curse would be removed soon?
Then only the Soul Seizing Curse would remain, but the Soul Seizing Curse would only take effect if she died, meaning she could meet this man often in the future?
Thinking of this, Sakura suddenly felt as if everything around her had become vibrant and lively.
Even the cold moonlight.
Seemed to carry a touch of heartwarming warmth.
