VIP Chapter 491: Just Like a Dream
“Don’t be nervous.”
Carver smiled and clinked glasses with him naturally.
Of everyone present brave enough to drink with him, besides Treya, it was probably just him.
“No matter what, I won’t draw my sword and kill you here. This is an adult social event, and we must abide by the rules of etiquette.”
“Heh. An ‘adult’ social event?”
Will scoffed.
“If you’re an ‘adult,’ then be magnanimous and let me live, can’t you? I mean, even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. Why do you always want to get rid of your excellent son?”
Hearing Will speak to him as if in jest, Carver let out a light chuckle.
“That’s not possible.”
His tone was as casual as if his own son were asking for a toy and he had refused.
Carver’s interaction was so natural, as if there had never been any life-and-death hatred between them.
Only a few days ago, when they met at a meeting, he had seemed unwilling to communicate with him.
Everything about him exuded “falseness” and “acting.”
He adopted a “persona” for conversation depending on the situation, and used different identities to pursue different interests.
As for his true emotions, his state of mind, and what he truly desired, it seemed unimportant from the start of the conversation.
“I don’t just ‘hate’ you; to be honest, I also… truly don’t understand you.”
But Will still drank after clinking glasses.
For him, sharing a drink with his enemy wasn’t something he couldn’t accept.
“Ah, it seems Her Majesty is in quite a hurry. I originally wanted to take advantage of her free time to wish her well—but this little Half-elf Princess is really not suited for this kind of social event. She’s acting no different from four years ago.”
Swirling his wine glass, Carver took only a shallow sip.
Those truly skilled at socializing would meticulously savor every sip of wine at such an event, not drinking an extra drop.
Will had no such reservations and gulped down more than half the glass in one go.
“Why do you absolutely want her to abdicate? Even… even going so far as to save the country indirectly by clearing Zero Demon City to kill her?”
“The desire for power never stops. Are you satisfied with that reason?”
“Are you serious? She’s almost been completely sidelined by you. You’re truly greedy.”
“Let me think, then… Because instead of quietly wielding power from the shadows, I have the ambition to become the ruler myself. Are you satisfied with this?”
“How is that possible? If that’s the case…”
—If that were the case, he wouldn’t have established a republic after overthrowing the previous regime in the original work; he would have just been a beneficiary.
But he swallowed the latter half of his sentence.
“You’re not satisfied with that either. Then it’s a bit tricky—oh, I’ve always had the heart of a great adventurer. So I want to clear the deepest dungeon to date and engrave it on the medal on my chest, so I can live up to the title of President of the Adventurer’s Guild…”
He spoke at length, his tone becoming increasingly exaggerated.
Finally, he smiled at Will like he was coaxing a child.
“…Are you satisfied with this answer?”
“You’re toying with me! You don’t want to tell me what you truly want to do!”
He had indeed presented many answers that Will had speculated, but since he was saying them now, it proved they were all wrong.
Carver was still acting, with no intention of having an honest conversation with him.
Moreover, judging by his amused expression as he teased Will, he was clearly enjoying himself.
“That’s all I can say. I can’t come up with any more reasons, even if I tried. If you have more imagination, you can try to come up with one.”
“If I were to guess, I’d rather believe you wanted to find me a new fiancée, so you’re trying to get rid of the current one.”
“Ahaha… That’s a very creative idea.” Carver continued to look at his swirling wine glass. “You must have realized that today I will be clearing Zero Demon City and revealing the secret that Treya… no, Entak has held for years: a contract with a ‘demon’ that controls an entire dungeon.”
Carver was very confident.
However, this was a plan Will had already suspected.
“So, Will, facing a plan like mine, what do you intend to do?”
“You’re asking so directly?”
“Hmm, you are indeed facing an elite group of adventurers. It’s just a pity that some of the top-ranked teams are unwilling to help me. For example, White Castle.”
“Wow, so strong.”
“Moreover, I don’t think I will lose—Treya isn’t defeated by her own shortcomings. Zero Demon City possesses a paradox she cannot break…”
Carver paused midway and looked into the distance, as if he saw a female merchant in an overly ostentatious bright red dress walking towards him.
“From birth, Treya has had to abandon things to get to where she is. Whether it’s her family, her ideal of a beautiful world, or you…”
Carver glanced at Will.
“…”
“So, this time, it’s her turn to abandon herself.”
Carver said, as if looking up and seeing something, he narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled.
“Someone is waiting for you. Our pre-battle chat ends here. I’m quite looking forward to seeing how you, who came prepared, will respond.”
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Will watched Carver leave with annoyance.
He glanced at his “watch.”
The time was eight in the evening, and there was still some time before his scheduled “nine o’clock.”
“Will?”
Will’s gaze lifted from his watch, and he saw Treya.
“Phew… I didn’t expect so many people to be chasing after me today.”
Treya’s wine glass was empty—although Will had reminded her to drink sparingly, it seemed she had to entertain too many people today.
“You’re the protagonist of today, so it’s normal.”
“Just now, were you chatting with… your father? What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything. If he doesn’t want to tell you something, he won’t say a single word.”
“That’s true.”
Treya nodded and picked up a small cake from the side. In this place, which was more akin to adventurers’ hangouts, such delicate desserts were surprisingly more abundant.
After all, there weren’t many “children” who could forgive the world just by looking at dessert; everyone here was a mature adventurer, each eyeing more expensive and nutritious food.
“I didn’t expect that in just a few days, this place has been rebuilt to be… almost the same as I remember. It’s just that some decorations that can’t be found anymore can’t be replicated.”
Treya raised her head, as if looking at the third floor of the Banquet Hall.
Unfortunately, the third floor was not open today for the banquet. Treya seemed to have come down from the preparation room on the third floor at the time.
“Thank you, Will, for being able to hold this here in the end. This… the place where it all began.”
“Then my tearing up their proposal wasn’t in vain.”
“Of course, it’s also like a dream.”
Treya let out a long sigh.
She had already begun to recall the dream she had about this place.
She and Will had watched a sunrise that was both profoundly meaningful and absolutely beautiful.
“Indeed, perhaps it was a dream.”
Strangers, both known and unknown, came and went, their indistinct faces chuckling behind clinking glasses.
The waltz music of the Banquet Hall drifted ethereally, unheard conversations scattering amidst the swaying figures.
Just like a grand dream.
