Chapter 191: Sylph Has No Escape (Part 1)
He had over a hundred wives, yet he questioned Qin Chu’s desires? The hypocrisy! Qin Chu inwardly mocked Wadsworth’s audacity.
Wadsworth, realizing his gaffe, immediately shut his mouth.
The others exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to react.
This Hero, although outstanding, had a rather…unique personality.
Qin Chu frowned, feigning displeasure at Wadsworth’s words. “Brother Wadsworth,” he said in a low voice, “what do you mean by that? What kind of person do you think I am?”
“Do you think I’m expanding the Hero Squad just for that?”
Wadsworth pursed his lips, muttering inwardly, Aren’t you that kind of person? Just look at how many girls you’ve gathered around you in such a short time!
You’re not even human!
Of course, Wadsworth wouldn’t be foolish enough to say these words out loud. He forced a smile. “Brother Qin, I misspoke. Don’t take it to heart.”
Qin Chu’s expression softened slightly, and he stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. “Everyone,” he declared, “I, as the Hero, am just like you, striving for the peace and prosperity of the Heavenly Continent.”
“Our enemies are the ferocious Demon Beasts and the sinister Evil Gods.”
“They want to trample our land, to plunge our nation, our cities, our people into fire and death. The path of resistance is fraught with peril, and I commend your courage for standing up against them.”
Qin Chu placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
Then he continued, “The Hero Squad is the sharpest blade against the Demon Beasts.”
“But due to some recent unfortunate events, people have lost trust in the Hero Squad, and we must regain that trust. We can’t let this blade rust. We have to let people know that the Hero Squad is still trustworthy, still worthy of their faith.”
“Please believe that I’m not expanding the Hero Squad for personal gain. I’m doing this for the sake of this world.”
Qin Chu’s speech was passionate and inspiring.
“I just want to make this blade sharper and stronger, so we can pierce the Demon King’s heart with a single blow.”
Even seasoned politicians like Augustus and Saint Monique were almost convinced… Yeah, right, they thought.
This Hero had some nerve. He always managed to find high-sounding excuses for his actions.
And these excuses were difficult to refute.
Most importantly, there was indeed no rule stating that the Hero Squad had to have only ten members.
Just because the First Hero, Jie Luo, had formed a ten-member squad, they had subconsciously assumed that the Hero Squad should always consist of ten people. After Qin Chu’s speech, they realized that there was no reason why there couldn’t be more.
In fact, it was a perfect solution.
This way, the four of them didn’t have to fight over the last spot. The matter was perfectly resolved.
Athena, Sylph, Loseweisse, and Airi exchanged glances. Things were developing in the most unfavorable direction for them, and they couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Their plan to resurrect Jie Luo would face many obstacles from now on. They would have to avoid these new members in everything they did and said.
They didn’t suspect that Qin Chu was deliberately sabotaging their plan. In their eyes, with his personality, it wasn’t surprising for him to make such a decision.
The difficult matter was easily resolved by Qin Chu’s words. The next topic of discussion was another matter.
They wanted Qin Chu to leave the Imperial City and go to the battlefield.
Just as Qin Chu had predicted, the front lines had suffered consecutive defeats, severely impacting the morale of the Allied Forces against the Demon Beasts. And with the death of Benson and the fall of Karsus, the situation was even worse.
The Heavenly Continent desperately needed a victory, a glimmer of hope.
Qin Chu naturally agreed, thumping his chest and proclaiming his righteousness and dedication.
Of course, he needed a few days to prepare and wouldn’t leave immediately. All factions had many things to arrange.
The meeting ended in a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.
Zimmerman took Natia back to Sage Mountain. He had many things to tell her… Even if she was destined to be “taken,” she couldn’t let Qin Chu have his way so easily.
Augustus stayed in the Imperial Palace. He seemed to have something to discuss with Wadsworth.
Qin Chu left the palace with Saint Monique and the Saintess of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, that girl named… named… what was her name again? Inas?
Along the way, Qin Chu casually chatted with Saint Monique.
He could sense Inas’s strong hostility towards him. He hadn’t interacted much with Inas in the first playthrough, neither liking nor disliking her.
But her coldness made Qin Chu unwilling to approach her. He even felt a bit strange. He had never interacted with Inas in this life, so why did she harbor such strong hostility towards him?
They hadn’t even exchanged a single word.
It was baffling.
This hostility also irritated Qin Chu.
Saint Monique, with a gentle smile on her face, tried to mediate the awkward atmosphere.
The Holy Maiden of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess was a very tolerant woman, fulfilling every man’s fantasy of a mature woman.
Although she wasn’t young, she was well-maintained, her skin still delicate and smooth, with no trace of age. Her voluptuous figure exuded mature charm.
For men who liked mature women, Saint Monique’s allure was irresistible.
She always had a gentle smile on her face, making people feel comfortable and subconsciously develop a favorable impression of her… Only Qin Chu knew the viciousness and evil hidden beneath that charming facade.
They chatted as they walked, Saint Monique occasionally chuckling at Qin Chu’s words, her delicate hand covering her mouth, her eyes narrowing.
They unknowingly reached the gate of the Imperial Palace. Saint Monique frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
A young man in earth-yellow church attire, embroidered with the symbols of earth and stone representing the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, stood at the gate.
But his attire was different from that of ordinary priests, bishops, or archbishops.
It was adorned with platinum threads, making it look more noble.
The young man was tall and handsome. When he saw Saint Monique and Qin Chu appear together, his eyes lit up. But Qin Chu vaguely felt that the young man’s gaze seemed to be always directed at the space beside Saint Monique.
And Inas, who had been frowning, her eyes also lit up when she saw the young man, a hint of joy and worry in her gaze.
Qin Chu immediately understood. These two were a couple.
He wasn’t the kind of scumbag who would pounce on every beautiful girl he saw.
Expanding the Hero Squad to save the Heavenly Continent was naturally a lie, but Qin Chu wasn’t as despicable as Wadsworth thought.
He already had Shaye, Angelica, Violet, Anthea, Candice, and even Anastasia and Norma… He wasn’t that interested in other girls.
The reason he expanded the Hero Squad was, on the one hand, because those old geezers all wanted to plant spies by his side. It would be more troublesome for them to act secretly and sneakily behind his back. It was better to have them join the Hero Squad directly, so he could easily monitor their actions.
On the other hand, it was because this behavior was more in line with the persona he had presented to them.
As for whether these people had partners or were in relationships, Qin Chu didn’t care. He wouldn’t deliberately break them up. It was none of his business.
The handsome young man, seeing the expression on Inas’s face, seemed to understand the situation. He gritted his teeth and stepped forward, walking directly towards Qin Chu.
Saint Monique’s face turned cold. “O’Niens, what are you doing? Don’t be disrespectful in front of the Hero! Step back!”
The young man named O’Niens was clearly afraid of Saint Monique, but at this moment, he showed great courage. Suppressing his fear, he looked down at Qin Chu, “You’re the Hero?”
“I order you to let me join your Hero Squad.”
Pfft…
Was this guy brainless?
Qin Chu felt that this guy might be just as stupid as the Grand Prince.
You order me? Who are you? What right do you have to give me orders? If he had spoken nicely, Qin Chu might have considered it, but this attitude made him want to laugh.
And Inas, beside Saint Monique, stared at Qin Chu with expectant eyes.
Damn it, one acting all high and mighty, the other with a perpetual scowl, as if he owed her money.
And now, one was ordering him, and the other was looking at him with hope?
What kind of monsters were in the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess?
These thoughts flashed through Qin Chu’s mind, but his face remained gentle. “Oh, Master O’Niens,” he said, “the Hero Squad is already full. There are no vacancies left. What a pity.”
Inas’s face immediately changed, and even a hint of disgust appeared in her eyes. She spoke to Qin Chu for the first time, “You just said you wanted to expand the Hero Squad, to make the blade that pierces the Demon Beasts’ hearts sharper and stronger…”
“Yes, I did say that,” Qin Chu wasn’t in a hurry. He spread his hands and smiled, “But we also have to be careful. A sharper and stronger blade is good, but it can’t be too heavy. Otherwise, we won’t be able to lift it.”
“So, I think the Hero Squad, with its current members, is already perfect. We can’t add any more people.”
As a joke, letting someone like O’Niens join, the Hero Squad would truly become a clown troupe.
Inas’s face turned pale with anger, speechless for a moment. And O’Niens’s face was livid, his eyes spitting fire. He seemed to want to rush up and grab Qin Chu by the collar.
But just as he took a step forward, Ekaterina stepped in front of him.
She interlocked her long fingers and twisted them slightly, a cracking sound echoing in the air. Her crimson eyes stared at O’Niens, “O’Niens, do you want to get beaten up? I can turn your face into a pig’s head.”
Although he was a tall man, he seemed small in front of Ekaterina. The aura emanating from her made O’Niens’s throat twitch, an inexplicable fear filling him.
Her seemingly fiery gaze made him feel like he might be burned to ashes. This woman didn’t care about his status, she would really attack.
He glared at Qin Chu, “Just you wait!”
After throwing down these words, O’Niens turned and left, Inas quickly following behind him.
After they left, Saint Monique sighed wearily, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. After a few seconds, she looked at Qin Chu, “Hero, please don’t be angry. O’Niens, he…”
“His status in the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess seems to be very high?” Qin Chu raised an eyebrow. He had no impression of this person from the first playthrough, “I don’t quite understand.”
Saint Monique’s expression turned even more helpless, “O’Niens is the Saint Son of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess this generation…”
Inas was the Saintess, and he was the Saint Son. No wonder they were a couple.
“You know, even in the Church, there are always some connections that can’t be ignored. O’Niens’s mother was the previous Holy Maiden of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, so…” Saint Monique explained with a wry smile.
So he was a “guanxihu” (someone who relies on connections). That explained how someone like this could climb so high. If it weren’t for his mother being the former Holy Maiden, the position of Saint Son wouldn’t have gone to such a waste.
“And there are also a group of people loyal to the former Holy Maiden around O’Niens. He grew up in that environment, so he developed a somewhat arrogant personality…” Saint Monique seemed to feel that it wasn’t appropriate to speak ill of the former Holy Maiden’s son and quickly added, “But as long as you spend some time with him, you’ll find that he’s actually not a bad person.”
“Inas and O’Niens are lovers. Since they were Saintess and Saint Son candidates, they were the only people of the opposite sex they interacted with, so naturally, they developed feelings for each other. They’re just waiting to get married after they step down from their positions at thirty.”
“Now, because Inas has been chosen as a member of the Hero Squad, she has to be separated from O’Niens, so he’s naturally a bit unwilling.”
Qin Chu smiled elegantly, “Don’t worry, Holy Maiden, I’m not that petty. Then I’ll take my leave. May the gods protect you.”
“May the gods protect you too.”
They parted ways. On the way back, Athena, Ekaterina, and Airi all made excuses to leave.
Clearly, what had happened today was very important to them, and they had to gather and discuss their next move.
Only Sylph remained with Qin Chu. As soon as they returned to the residence, Sylph pulled him towards her room.
“Miss Sylph, what’s wrong?” Qin Chu asked, puzzled.
Sylph bit her lower lip and said in a deep voice, “Start the second treatment immediately!”
The beautiful elf had no escape!
Leave a Reply