Category: Dear, it’s time for your medicine!

Chapter 124: It Definitely Wasn’t Me Who Leaked This 

The slayer of Holy Knights, Karsus.

In the confessional, Augustus silently looked at the note floating before him. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if nothing had happened.

Everyone suspected that those Holy Knights might have been dealt with by Lomond, who had killed Benson. After all, those people died so tragically, with nearly half of them even beheaded. It was hard to imagine any creature other than a Demon Beast being so cruel. However, this note provided shocking information, giving Augustus different ideas.

Although the members of the Hero Squad weren’t particularly powerful individually, at least not enough to pose a threat to Augustus, if all ten of them… no, now there were only nine, appeared together, it would still be quite troublesome.

Every member of the Hero Squad was exceptionally talented and had gained a lot of benefits from following the First Hero. They acted recklessly and became increasingly uncontrollable, even starting to challenge the existing order of the Heavenly Continent. They had become another major force besides the Holy See, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, the Empire, and Sage Mountain.

They were also very united.

After the First Hero Jie Luo died, Loseweisse became the new core.

Although Loseweisse was the Saintess of the Holy See, the Hero Squad didn’t show any favoritism towards the Holy See. Augustus even had a feeling that she would be his biggest problem.

After all, the dirty and filthy blood of those seven beings flowed in her veins.

Now that Benson had been killed by Lomond, if he could take this opportunity to eliminate Karsus, the strength of the Hero Squad would be greatly reduced, which would be a good thing for Augustus.

Moreover, it could also enhance his prestige within the Holy See.

Augustus was also a cunning old fox. Qin Chu didn’t directly tell him, naturally, he had his concerns.

Then, there was no need for him to make a big fuss.

Moreover, if it was really Karsus who did it, there were countless ways to find evidence, as much as they wanted to create…

Was this the Hero’s gratitude for protecting him when Ekaterina attacked him before? If the Hero was truly such a grateful person, then manipulating him would be much easier.

Augustus suddenly smiled. Without any noticeable movement, the note in front of him spontaneously ignited, turning into ashes in an instant. A gust of wind blew, and even the ashes disappeared without a trace.

After doing this, Augustus put his finger to his ear, “Captain O’Niens, help me investigate something… Yes, it’s about the massacre of the Holy Knights. Please help me investigate whether there are any traces of dark power on the bodies at the camp… You know, I’m not talking about Demon Beasts, but the dark power possessed by the Death Knight Karsus. Do you understand what I mean?”

There were some things Augustus didn’t want to say too explicitly, but to O’Niens, he had to explain as clearly as possible, “O’Niens, please don’t say things like ‘what if we can’t find evidence’. You have to understand that this kind of evidence can be created as much as we want. Isn’t that clear enough?”

Augustus ended the message with a weary sigh, rubbing his forehead. O’Niens was a very loyal subordinate, but unfortunately, his brain didn’t match his loyalty.

This had always been a regret for Augustus. It would be best to have a subordinate who was both loyal and intelligent.

…

Inside the sanctuary.

With Qin Chu’s arrival, the atmosphere seemed to ease slightly.

Angelica wasn’t qualified to enter the sanctuary. Although after following Qin Chu, almost no one mentioned the curse anymore, she was still just a maid.

Loseweisse took the opportunity to occupy a position beside Qin Chu, her body leaning closer to him, maintaining a delicate balance of closeness and distance. In her eyes, this was a reward for Qin Chu.

Perhaps because Qin Chu had been acting very calm, Loseweisse didn’t suspect at all that he had exposed Karsus as the murderer.

Violet watched this scene, a faint smile on her face. She wasn’t angry at all, just amused by Loseweisse’s actions.

This woman was a bit clever.

But this kind of cleverness was probably useless against Qin Chu.

Not long after, Augustus, who had just left, returned. His expression was as peaceful as ever, giving people a kind and benevolent feeling. After greeting everyone to take their seats, Augustus first looked at Violet, “This beautiful lady, we don’t know your name yet…”

Violet was very strong.

This was something that Wadsworth, Saint Monique, and Augustus could all sense. Her strength far surpassed that of the average Hero Squad member. Even for them, defeating her would be quite troublesome. She should be about the same level as Zimmerman, who had been stuck at level 89 for over a decade and was the closest to their level.

The others also looked at Violet, clearly curious about her origins.

Violet didn’t like this tense atmosphere. Even facing the strongest people in the Heavenly Continent, she wasn’t nervous at all. Her fair fingers covered her mouth slightly as she yawned. After all, for Violet, even the oldest person here, Zimmerman, was just a kid in her eyes.

“Violet.”

She gave a brief answer, not even wanting to say more.

Qin Chu had misjudged Violet. She was gentle in front of him because he possessed the Seed of Light and the Seed of Life, the objects of her pursuit. Moreover, staying by Qin Chu’s side made Violet feel very comfortable. She wasn’t sure if it was love or just a good feeling, but she at least had some favorable feelings towards him.

However, this gentleness only appeared when she was facing Qin Chu and those he cared about. Towards others, Violet’s attitude was very cold.

Especially after seeing how dirty the world had become after a thousand years, Violet became even more disgusted with this world and the people living in it. She just didn’t show it.

Augustus and the others weren’t angry at Violet’s reaction. Strong people were always proud, it was normal.

“Beautiful Miss Violet, your name is as gentle as your appearance,” Augustus said with a smile, complimenting her in a gentlemanly manner.

But these words clearly displeased Qin Chu. Old man, what are you trying to do?

Violet is mine, don’t even think about her.

Augustus didn’t notice Qin Chu’s expression and continued speaking in a gentlemanly tone, “Well then, Miss Violet, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind me asking another bold question. You are very strong, but why have you been unknown? We’ve never heard of your name.”

No, you might not have heard of the name Violet, but you definitely know the name Storm Witch… Qin Chu complained in his heart.

“That’s because Violet has been cultivating alone and only recently returned to the Imperial City.”

A rough voice interjected inappropriately.

Everyone was stunned. This wasn’t Violet’s voice. After all, Violet’s voice sounded very gentle, and this voice was completely raspy.

“Wadsworth, you know a lot about Violet?” Saint Monique asked suspiciously.

Wadsworth laughed heartily. In the sanctuary, he was probably the only one who could act so rudely. This burly man’s face was full of pride and smugness, “Because Violet is my cousin! Of course, I know a lot about her.”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Cousin?

When did you get a cousin?

If she was his cousin, they should be related by blood, right?

They looked at Violet, then at Wadsworth, all shaking their heads involuntarily. Wadsworth had such a beautiful cousin?

What a joke, how could these two people be related by blood?

This was simply blasphemy against Violet’s beauty, as absurd as saying that the gods they believed in had already perished.

Violet’s lips twitched slightly. She wanted to retort that with her age, even if Wadsworth called her “great-grandmother”, it wouldn’t be taking advantage of her… But, cousin it was. After all, this made her seem younger.

No matter what kind of woman it was, they always cared about their age.

Seeing the doubtful gazes around him, Wadsworth was a little dissatisfied, “You don’t believe me? Violet, show them your identity plate…”

Violet rolled her eyes slightly…

A beauty was a beauty. An action that would only appear rude on an ordinary person looked charming on Violet.

Her fair fingers picked up the small identity plate.

On it were the words engraved with magic: Violet Aberchian, 29 years old, member of the royal family, cousin of Wadsworth Aberchian!

The identity plate was brand new, gleaming with silver, without a single scratch.

Everyone was speechless.

Wadsworth, however, was full of smugness, “See? I’ve shown you the identity plate. As everyone knows, identity plates are uniquely engraved and cannot be forged.”

Bullshit…

Saint Monique and Zimmerman couldn’t help but want to curse.

Could you be any more fake?

Yes, identity plates were uniquely made and couldn’t be forged, but… If they remembered correctly, weren’t identity plates also made by your family?

The identity plate in Violet’s hand was as good as new… Well, it was clearly newly made. The Mana fluctuations from the magic engraving hadn’t even completely disappeared…

To fool people with a brand new identity plate, wasn’t that a bit too much?

Before Saint Monique could express her doubts, Augustus nodded in agreement, “So she’s Your Majesty Wadsworth’s cousin. Then there’s no problem.”

“Please don’t mind, Miss Violet. After all, there are many powerful women out there who are Witches.”

“The Hero’s safety is of paramount importance to the Heavenly Continent.”

After Augustus said this, Saint Monique and Zimmerman looked at him in surprise, not believing that this old fox couldn’t even see through such a simple lie.

Even Wadsworth was a little surprised, seemingly not expecting this annoying old man to be so agreeable this time.

Actually, for Augustus, this was just a favor in return for the information Qin Chu had provided.

Or rather, it was purely a transaction.

Augustus was a shrewd person. Whether Violet was Wadsworth’s cousin or not wasn’t important. As long as Violet was brought back by Qin Chu and wasn’t a Witch, they would eventually have to acknowledge her existence. Otherwise, they would offend the Hero.

Since that was the case, why not just agree readily?

Not offending Qin Chu and even doing him a favor, it was a win-win situation.

Since Augustus had already acknowledged it, Saint Monique and Zimmerman exchanged glances, their brows slightly furrowed, and finally accepted this statement.

“Well then, the next issue is Ekaterina and Loseweisse. The two of you took the Hero out of the Imperial City without permission… Huh?”

At this moment, Augustus seemed to sense something and pressed his hand to his ear.

Everyone knew that Augustus was receiving a message through Information Magic.

Seeing Augustus’s brows furrow deeper and deeper, his aura becoming increasingly gloomy, they were all curious about what kind of news he had received that would cause such a big reaction.

Although O’Niens was dull, his efficiency was always commendable… The evidence had been found, or rather, it had been fabricated. They were very good at this kind of thing.

After a few seconds, Augustus sighed and stood up. His golden eyes stared at Karsus with a chilling light.

His old body walked towards Karsus step by step.

Loseweisse’s expression changed slightly, her body instantly tensing up.

With every step closer, Augustus’s aura grew stronger, a hazy energy swirling around his back and above his head. With every step he took, the entire sanctuary seemed to tremble.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

The muffled sounds echoed in everyone’s hearts.

Although Augustus hadn’t made any aggressive moves, the pressure had reached its peak in a short time. The magic lamps in the sanctuary seemed to flicker under the influence of his aura.

Wadsworth, Saint Monique, and Zimmerman also straightened their bodies, their expressions grave.

“Augustus, what are you doing?” Saint Monique asked in a deep voice, her eyes narrowed.

Augustus didn’t answer her question. His cloudy eyes were fixed on Karsus, “Death Knight… the Holy Knights stationed near Mount Cavanyas…”

“Were they killed by you?”

As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked.

Loseweisse’s body trembled violently, her face instantly turning pale. Her gaze shot towards Qin Chu.

She suspected that this was Qin Chu’s doing.

After all, only she, Ekaterina, Qin Chu, and Violet had witnessed the scene that night.

Ekaterina was on her side and naturally wouldn’t tell anyone.

Violet completely obeyed Qin Chu’s orders. Apart from Qin Chu leaking the information, there was almost no other possibility.

The corners of Qin Chu’s lips curled up almost imperceptibly. The next second, he cried out as if he had been wronged and provoked, “Loseweisse, why are you looking at me like that?”

“It definitely wasn’t me who leaked this!”

Loseweisse felt her vision go black, and she almost fainted. It was over, she had been dragged into this too!

Chapter 123: The Slayer of Holy Knights, Karsus 

After writing, Qin Chu blew on the words, watching the ink dry. He carefully folded the paper into a small square, then silently placed a 1000 Mana bill on the counter.

After doing all this, Qin Chu walked towards the table by the window.

Angelica, Natia, Violet, and a noble girl Qin Chu didn’t recognize.

Hmm… That figure… Flat as a board.

Although Qin Chu knew it was rude to think this way, he couldn’t help it. The girl’s figure was as eye-catching as Athena’s, just in the opposite direction.

Of course, he would never act rudely. He put on a slightly exaggerated smile, “Ah, today is truly my lucky day. Can someone tell me the name of this angel?”

Louisa chuckled, covering her mouth. Although Qin Chu’s gesture was a bit over-the-top, it was very effective for a girl. After all, no girl would dislike being praised for her beauty.

In front of the Hero, Louisa also subconsciously restrained her usual carefree personality, rarely showing a hint of demureness, “Louisa, Louisa Lucifer. The Hero’s praise is truly delightful. By the way, what were you doing at the counter just now?”

“Just paying for the meal,” Qin Chu shrugged.

“You are truly an elegant gentleman.”

“I believe that’s a quality every man should possess. Every man should be an elegant gentleman.”

Louisa was a very talkative lady. She could easily pick up the conversation and prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward. But Qin Chu couldn’t help but feel that Louisa seemed to be steering the conversation towards Natia, sparing no effort in praising her.

Well, it was understandable.

Natia was indeed a very outstanding woman.

At such a young age, she had already reached the level of a Grand Mage. There were only a few like her in the entire Heavenly Continent.

“It’s such a pity that my Natia is also at the age of marriage. I wonder which lucky bastard will end up with her,” Louisa said seemingly casually, swirling the coffee in her hand. “Sigh, Natia is just too innocent. I’m really afraid she’ll be bullied. If only there was a good person we knew well that she could be entrusted to.”

Natia, who was eating her cake in small bites, looked up at Louisa with her sky-blue, gem-like eyes and said in a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, Louisa. I won’t be bullied. My magic can easily blow him to pieces…”

Louisa abandoned her noble etiquette and slumped her face onto the table like a soft slime, poking the cake with her small fork repeatedly…

Her small mouth puffed out like a frog’s.

Hopeless.

Miss Natia, please, being able to blow someone to pieces with magic was definitely not a bonus point for a woman seeking marriage.

Didn’t she see that the Hero across from her already had a speechless expression?

And was the cake really that delicious?

When someone was praising her, couldn’t she follow the rhythm and show a little bit of feminine charm?

Seeing Louisa’s depressed look, Violet smiled. Although she was a Saintess, she was clearly not the kind who was out of touch with the real world. She understood Louisa’s intentions.

This woman was practically shouting in Qin Chu’s ear with a megaphone, “You blockhead, hurry up and marry Natia!”

She was like an audience member watching everything unfold on stage, finding it amusing and heartwarming.

Ah, no!

Louisa shook her head vigorously. She couldn’t be discouraged. After all, this best friend of hers could only rely on herself in this lifetime. If she didn’t help, Natia would really be alone forever.

Louisa regained her strength and prepared to launch a new round of assists.

But at this moment, Natia, who was enjoying her cake, suddenly stopped. She pressed two fingers against her ear. Qin Chu knew that someone was contacting Natia through Information Magic.

Natia frowned slightly, seemingly unhappy about something.

After about half a minute, Natia removed her fingers from her ear.

“What happened?” Qin Chu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natia shook her head slightly, “News from the Holy See. On the one hand, it’s about Benson’s death, and on the other hand, it’s about dealing with Ekaterina and Loseweisse taking the Hero out of the city without permission…”

It made sense. The Hero was so important to the Heavenly Continent, and Ekaterina and Loseweisse actually took the yet-to-mature Hero out of the Imperial City without permission. If anything happened to him, the Heavenly Continent would be finished.

It was fine that they came back last night, but today they had to explain their actions and accept some punishment.

“As one of the parties involved, I also need to go to the Holy See.”

“Also, near Mount Cavanyas, where Benson was killed, a camp stationed with 3200 Holy Knights was massacred. All 3200 Holy Knights were killed, and nearly half of them were beheaded. The Pope is furious and wants to ask us if we noticed anything unusual when we were rescuing Benson.”

“Hero, you better go too. Some people are very curious about Miss Violet.”

The headquarters of the Holy See and the dispatched troops would maintain contact through Information Magic at regular intervals to confirm their status. Once contact was lost, other Holy Knights nearby would be immediately dispatched to investigate. It was normal for them to discover the massacre of the Holy Knights so quickly.

But what Qin Chu didn’t expect was that there were actually 3200 Holy Knights killed. Karsus was really ruthless.

For this guy, slaughtering 3200 lives was probably no different from stepping on an ant nest, right?

Qin Chu was prepared and not panicking. He just looked at Natia with some puzzlement. After she finished speaking, the girl didn’t immediately get up and leave for the Holy See. Instead, she continued to sit there and slowly finished all the cake on her plate before standing up.

Qin Chu confirmed one thing: this woman loved sweets… It was really hard for her. She loved cakes and the like so much, yet she could still maintain such a perfect figure. This should also be considered a kind of talent, right? He wondered if it counted as an ability.

Qin Chu looked at Louisa unhurriedly and stood up, “Well then, this angel… Ah, I can’t help but praise your beauty again… At this rate, I might be considered a frivolous man.”

“Well then, Miss Louisa, we have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be leaving for now. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Louisa clearly didn’t see Qin Chu as a frivolous man. She stood up gracefully, her slender fingers holding the corner of her dress, performing a farewell courtesy.

Although Louisa’s reputation in noble circles wasn’t good, she was still a well-bred young lady, and she had learned all the necessary etiquette.

After the farewell, Qin Chu and the others walked towards the door.

Although it was a summons from the Holy See, Qin Chu wasn’t panicking. He was speculating about the situation there so that he could respond accordingly.

Just as they reached the door, a royal guard suddenly appeared. He didn’t say anything, just nodded at Qin Chu and handed him a special, bright silver identity plate.

Identity plates were a kind of item that could only be made and issued by institutions recognized by the empire. Their function was similar to ID cards on Earth. Qin Chu also had one.

But this identity plate wasn’t Qin Chu’s, it was Violet’s.

Violet now had an identity, and it was a noble one.

Because on this identity plate, two lines of text were clearly engraved with magic: Violet Aberchian, 29 years old, member of the royal family, cousin of Wadsworth Aberchian!

With this identity plate alone, Violet could basically walk sideways in the Imperial City. Few people would dare to provoke her.

When Qin Chu and the others slowly arrived at the Holy See, the priests at the gate who were in charge of welcoming them seemed to have been waiting for a long time. After asking about Violet’s identity, they didn’t think much of it. This seemed to be the Hero’s preference. The First Hero was the same, always bringing back some strange people.

Perhaps sensing the seriousness of the matter, the priests and nuns coming and going inside the Holy See all had a clear look of tension on their faces. The air was filled with a sense of oppression.

In the sanctuary, Augustus, Saint Monique, Wadsworth, who had just parted ways with Qin Chu, and Zimmerman, the representative of Sage Mountain, were all present. The members of the Hero Squad had also arrived.

The atmosphere was oppressive and tense. Even from the way everyone was standing, a certain anomaly could be sensed. Augustus sat in the center, Wadsworth on the left, Saint Monique on the right, and Zimmerman on the far right.

Saint Monique rested her right hand on the armrest, her body leaning slightly to the right, clearly closer to Zimmerman.

The four members of the Hero Squad were standing below. Loseweisse and Karsus were slightly closer, while Ekaterina and Athena were clearly separated.

Especially Athena, her gaze could even be seen occasionally sweeping over Loseweisse and Karsus, sometimes even glancing at Ekaterina with suspicion.

Although he didn’t know what Athena was thinking last night, it was clear that this woman was now suspicious of everything.

The atmosphere was oppressive and tense. Qin Chu’s arrival instantly broke the almost frozen air.

All eyes immediately fell on Qin Chu, their expressions varied.

Augustus and Saint Monique had gentle smiles on their faces.

Zimmerman seemed curious about Natia and Qin Chu appearing together, seemingly suspecting their relationship, wondering if his precious cabbage had already been taken…

Wadsworth was still his usual, slightly rough but not unpleasant, hearty self. But Qin Chu knew very well that this Wadsworth was actually very meticulous.

Ekaterina’s eyes lit up slightly, then quickly dimmed. She nodded at Qin Chu almost imperceptibly.

Athena’s eyes were filled with disappointment and disgust. It was clearly Qin Chu who appeared, not Jie Luo. She even looked at Natia with a hint of mockery. This poor woman didn’t even know that the person she had fallen for wasn’t Qin Chu at all, but another, more outstanding and gentle man. What made her think she was worthy of loving Lord Jie Luo?

Loseweisse’s body instantly tensed up, clearly afraid that Qin Chu would expose what happened that night.

As for Karsus, he didn’t think much of it. His disgusted gaze swept over Qin Chu and then immediately landed on Violet. From his fiery eyes, it could be seen that he was very dissatisfied with his previous defeat and wanted to get his revenge.

Qin Chu didn’t care about the gazes around him. After entering the sanctuary, he quickened his pace slightly and walked towards Augustus.

This action made Loseweisse’s pupils constrict sharply, her eyes fixed on Qin Chu.

“Ah, Your Holiness…”

“I’ve heard the news. I’m very sorry for the sacrifice of those Holy Knights. It’s sad news. They were all excellent warriors.”

As he spoke, Qin Chu walked up to Augustus, shook hands with him, and then hugged him.

Augustus’s expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, “Hero, thank you for your kindness.”

They didn’t exchange too many words and quickly separated.

Seeing that Qin Chu didn’t say that Karsus was the one who slaughtered the Holy Knights, Loseweisse breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hero, please rest for a while. I need to make some preparations for the meeting.” After separating, Augustus said to Qin Chu gently, then turned and left.

Qin Chu also began to exchange greetings with Wadsworth, Saint Monique, Zimmerman, and the others in turn. This was the annoying thing about high society. If they were commoners, they could just wave and shout from afar as a greeting. But high-society people were different. Just the complicated etiquette could take a long time.

Even the order of greetings had very strict standards. The order was related to identity, seniority, status, and strength. A slight mistake could be considered disrespectful by the other party, leading to a grudge.

After the greetings were over, Loseweisse came to Qin Chu’s side and smiled sweetly at him.

She was thanking Qin Chu for keeping his promise and not exposing Karsus as the murderer… In Loseweisse’s eyes, giving him a smile was already a great favor.

Qin Chu could swear to God that he really didn’t say anything.

…

On the other side, Augustus, who had left the sanctuary, appeared alone in the confessional.

He waved his hand and set up a barrier, blocking any possible magical detection. Then he opened his right hand, and in his palm was a piece of paper folded into a small square.

Without any movement from Augustus, the paper automatically floated up from his palm and unfolded.

A line of text clearly appeared before Augustus’s eyes.

The slayer of Holy Knights, Karsus!

Chapter 122: Power Enough to Kill the Hero

A gentle voice echoed in his ears.

Lance, who was wreaking havoc in the room, suddenly stopped. His chaotic consciousness seemed to have regained a bit of sanity, and he subconsciously looked around.

In this room that had been completely destroyed, there was no other figure besides himself.

“Who? Who’s talking?” Lance shouted in a deep voice.

Perhaps because he had roared too forcefully before, his voice was hoarse. He was certain that it wasn’t his imagination. He really heard… no, he directly felt the voice echoing in his mind.

He vaguely felt the room gradually darken.

Thin, black-purple threads like spider silk drifted in the air, a faint, sweet, and metallic scent gradually entering his nostrils.

“Do you desire power?”

The eerie voice sounded again.

The dark purple threads suddenly began to wriggle rapidly in mid-air, intertwining and tangling together, forming a strange yet elegant silhouette.

Lance’s scalp tingled. Anyone could sense something was wrong with this eerie scene. He slowly backed away, preparing to shout for help from the royal guards.

He didn’t know what this silhouette represented, but he knew that this being’s power was unimaginably strong.

Even just looking at the outline formed by the dark purple threads, he felt a beauty that didn’t belong to mortal beings. He even had the urge to prostrate himself on the ground and worship it. The strange silhouette was like a twisted vortex, making Lance feel like his soul was about to be sucked in.

“I sense your desire…”

“Worship me… and I will give you the power to kill the Hero!”

Lance, who was slowly backing away, suddenly stopped when he heard these words… The power to kill the Hero?

…

The crashing sounds stopped. No one knew what His Highness the Grand Prince was doing now, but no one had the courage to barge in and take a look.

After an unknown amount of time, the door creaked open, and a figure walked out. When the servants saw this person, their eyes all lit up.

It was their Grand Prince, still wearing the same formal attire as before.

The same face, the same eyes, the same hair, everything was the same as before, but…

They felt that His Highness the Grand Prince seemed… more charismatic.

His tattered clothes, messy hair, and unkempt appearance formed a unique kind of elegance and nobility.

A faint smile played on Lance’s lips. He bowed gracefully, “I apologize for my unseemly behavior. Could you please help me tidy up the room?”

Their Grand Prince seemed to have fully recovered.

No one noticed the black thread wriggling like a worm in his brown eyes.

…

On the street, Wadsworth was still pouring out his woes to Qin Chu, complaining about his son’s stupidity.

“Tell me, what kind of potion did Loseweisse give Lance? His status is so noble, the entire vast empire will be his in the future, what kind of woman hasn’t he seen? But he’s just fixated on Loseweisse.”

“If Loseweisse wasn’t the Saintess of the Holy See, I would suspect that she was a Succubus.”

As he spoke, Wadsworth seemed to suddenly remember that Qin Chu and Loseweisse had a good relationship, and it seemed inappropriate to complain about her in front of him.

“Ah, sorry, Brother Qin, forget what I just said. I forgot about you and Loseweisse…” Wadsworth’s expression turned a little ambiguous, changing from a tired middle-aged office worker to a slightly lecherous uncle, “Why don’t you just take care of Loseweisse quickly, Brother Qin? That way, my foolish son can finally give up.”

Qin Chu was speechless. Was this something the Emperor of a country should say?

As for Loseweisse, he would take care of her sooner or later.

Qin Chu had a lot to do today, like finding a way to inform Augustus about Karsus killing thousands of Holy Knights at the border. He didn’t have much time to listen to Wadsworth’s complaints.

He let out a long breath, “Your Majesty, I think we can be more frank.”

Wadsworth wasn’t angry at Qin Chu’s words. He straightened his slightly hunched back, and his aura changed, “Alright, since Brother Qin is so straightforward, I won’t beat around the bush… Brother Qin, have you ever considered forming your own Hero Squad?”

Forming his own Hero Squad!

As expected, it was this matter.

Qin Chu wasn’t surprised by Wadsworth’s words at all.

Actually, Wadsworth had also approached him about this in the first playthrough.

Although the members of the Hero Squad were very strong and had made great contributions by fighting alongside the Hero, for people like Wadsworth, they were an uncontrollable force. They hoped to insert their own people into the Hero Squad.

In the first playthrough, Qin Chu trusted Athena, Ekaterina, and Loseweisse very much. Under their persuasion, he foolishly agreed to accept all the members of the former Hero Squad and rejected Wadsworth’s proposal.

Of course, on the surface, Qin Chu still had to act surprised. He looked at Wadsworth with some suspicion, “Form a Hero Squad? Isn’t there already one?”

Wadsworth was clearly prepared with his arguments. Perhaps he had already been planning this after the news of Benson’s death at the hands of Lomond spread, “No, no, Brother Qin, you misunderstood. I’m talking about a Hero Squad that belongs to you. The members of the Hero Squad are the most important partners who assist the Hero in fighting the Demon Beasts. First and foremost, they must be absolutely reliable and trustworthy.”

“With all due respect, the current members of the former Hero Squad are not worthy of your trust, Brother Qin.”

Regardless of Wadsworth’s reasons for saying this, there was no doubt that he was telling the truth. It was a pity that Qin Chu hadn’t taken it seriously in the first playthrough.

Seeing that Qin Chu didn’t respond, Wadsworth lowered his voice slightly, “Brother Qin, I’m not trying to stir up trouble!”

“You just need to ask around a little and you’ll know that what I’m saying is true.”

“You are the Second Hero. When they were preparing to summon you, all the members of the former Hero Squad unanimously opposed it. They only recognized Jie Luo. In their eyes, no one except Jie Luo is worthy of the title of Hero.”

He shook his head, “I find it hard to believe that such people would stay by your side and wholeheartedly assist you, Brother Qin.”

Qin Chu pondered, lost in thought. After a few seconds, he suddenly looked up, “Your Majesty, can you tell me what kind of person the First Hero Jie Luo was? To be so missed by the former Hero Squad members, he must have been an excellent person with noble character, right?”

Wadsworth fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Soon, his expression became a little complicated, “The First Hero Jie Luo… How should I put it…”

He seemed to have trouble recalling.

After a brief hesitation, Wadsworth’s voice sounded again, “Jie Luo was the kind of person who seemed ordinary at first glance. You wouldn’t think there was anything particularly attractive about him, but… he was surprisingly charismatic. The longer you spent with him, the more you would be drawn to him…”

Wadsworth slapped his head, “I haven’t had much interaction with Jie Luo, just some polite exchanges, but all the impressions he left on me were positive. It’s strange.”

Qin Chu seemed to understand a little.

People in the Heavenly Continent had very different attitudes towards the First Hero.

The former Hero Squad members were almost obsessed with him, worshipping, liking, and loving him. They practically treated the First Hero as the only one in their lives.

Wadsworth, ordinary nobles, and even the commoners who had met the First Hero once, their evaluation was… very good, he was an excellent Hero.

Although it was praise, it was clearly not as exaggerated as the Hero Squad members.

The First Hero Jie Luo seemed to possess a special charm that attracted those around him. The longer they stayed by his side, the greater the influence he had on them.

The former Hero Squad members had spent many years with Jie Luo day and night, so they were naturally the most deeply affected group. They valued Jie Luo’s glory very much and rejected the idea of a new generation of Hero replacing him.

This wasn’t magic. There were no traces of mental manipulation on these people, and their rationality wasn’t affected. They were just deeply and madly in love with the First Hero…

“No wonder Karsus directly attacked me before, almost killing me, even though he knew I was the Second Hero,” Qin Chu muttered seemingly unintentionally.

He couldn’t bring up some things himself.

Wadsworth’s eyes lit up. The Hero and the former Hero Squad were at odds, this was definitely a good thing for him. He quickly said, “Karsus is truly audacious. You must be worried about having such a person as a teammate, Hero. After all, you never know when you might be stabbed in the back.”

“Teammates, they must be people you can trust.”

“If Brother Qin wants to form a Hero Squad, I, Wadsworth, am willing to help with all my might.” Wadsworth patted his chest.

Qin Chu seemed to be tempted, “But I can’t just replace all the members of the Hero Squad at once, can I?”

Seeing that Qin Chu seemed to be persuaded, Wadsworth continued, “Of course, we can take it step by step.”

“Benson is dead, and Karsus has a history of attacking the Hero, so he should naturally be expelled from the Hero Squad as well. This way, there will be two vacancies…”

Wadsworth’s gaze swept over Violet through the glass window, “This lady should naturally occupy one spot… There’s one spot left…”

“Ah, right.” Qin Chu seemed to have just remembered something, “Your Majesty Wadsworth, could you please do me a favor? Violet has been cultivating in the wild for many years. You know, although her strength is good, she doesn’t have a legal identity…”

Wadsworth smiled unhurriedly and nodded, “Well, is this lady’s name Violet? I suddenly remembered that I have a distant cousin named Violet too. What a fateful coincidence…”

“Ah, Hero, you’ve also seen that the heir I chose is truly incompetent. I’m completely disappointed in him and plan to cultivate a new successor. I have a daughter who is intelligent and quick-witted. I hope she can follow by your side and gain some experience, Hero. What do you think?”

“It would be my honor!”

The two old foxes both smiled with satisfaction.

This was a deal that both sides were very happy with.

Although Wadsworth was troubled by his eldest son’s stupidity, his conversation with Qin Chu still yielded satisfactory results.

After Wadsworth left, Qin Chu entered the cake shop and asked the staff for a piece of paper and a pen.

His fingers moved quickly, writing a few words on it…

After all, he had promised Loseweisse that he would never tell anyone about Karsus slaughtering a thousand Holy Knights!

Chapter 121: Young Man, Do You Desire Power? 

Wadsworth’s words stunned Qin Chu. He was already an uncle?

A child? You’re talking about Lance?

This guy was even older than him, wasn’t he?

The surrounding nobles looked at each other, dumbfounded. His Majesty the Emperor was actually addressing the Hero as a brother. The smarter ones already understood Wadsworth’s intentions. The royal family wanted to get closer to the Hero and bind him to their chariot.

Although the Hero’s current strength was still weak, his two Super-tier abilities were enough to guarantee that he would become the strongest person in the entire Heavenly Continent in the future.

From the fact that Qin Chu could easily defeat Horn, it could be seen how talented the Hero was.

Wadsworth was trying to clean up his son’s mess.

And Lance’s face instantly became extremely distorted. He looked at his father in disbelief, then at Qin Chu, “Him? Uncle?”

Lance was about to explode with anger. What a joke!

He was the Grand Prince of the Auville Empire, the most powerful empire in the Heavenly Continent, the next in line to the throne.

He was talented and had already achieved great strength at a young age.

And he had to call a man younger than him “uncle”? And this man was even his rival in love?

Lance absolutely couldn’t accept this.

Although Wadsworth had hired the best teachers for Lance since he was a child, providing him with the best education, Lance’s status was there. The flattery of those around him had already cultivated his arrogant personality. He didn’t understand that no matter how noble he was, there were times when he had to bow his head.

His body trembled with anger, his eyes fixed on Qin Chu with hatred.

Lance’s reaction made Wadsworth’s gaze gradually turn cold.

Where was this idiot’s usual intelligence and wit? Couldn’t he see that he was trying to downplay the situation?

At best, it was just a provocation, something that happened every day.

At worst, it was deliberate sabotage of the united front against the Demon Beasts formed by the Hero, the Empire, the Church, the Hero Squad, and even the Grand Mages of Sage Mountain.

Qin Chu was really insidious. This accusation was something even the Grand Prince couldn’t withstand.

Once someone seized this opportunity, there would be countless ways to attack him. For example, deliberately manipulating public opinion, forcing the Hero to leave the protection of the Imperial City before he had fully grown, were you trying to murder the Hero?

For the first time, Wadsworth doubted his decision to choose Lance as his heir. He couldn’t even understand these things that he could easily think of. Could such a person really manage a country?

However, now wasn’t the time to think about these things.

Wadsworth glared at Lance and kicked him in the stomach. The noble Grand Prince’s face contorted in pain, his pale face covered in sweat, “Shut up! Why are you talking so much nonsense?”

“I’m addressing Brother Qin as a brother, so isn’t Brother Qin your uncle? Why don’t you hurry up and apologize? Do you want me to beat you up…”

You already did… Lance complained in his heart.

He wanted to resist, but seeing Wadsworth’s rage, Lance, who knew his father’s character well, held back.

There were rumors outside that he had defied the Emperor for the sake of marrying Loseweisse and that father and son had fallen out. The truth was that Lance was chased all over the palace by Wadsworth wielding a giant axe…

If he continued to anger his father, this old man might really beat him up in public, not giving him any face as the Grand Prince.

Although he was extremely unwilling, Lance still stood up, patted the shoe print on his stomach, and stared at Qin Chu with bloodshot eyes. His lips trembled uncontrollably. He knew that saying these words would make him lose all face.

But looking at his father’s fierce expression, he had no choice but to grit his teeth, his lips trembling, and force out a hoarse voice:

“Uncle Qin… Uncle… I’m… sorry!”

At that moment, Qin Chu felt an immense sense of satisfaction. The more uncomfortable Lance was, the happier he felt.

Damn it, still laughing? Can you still laugh?

It was a pity that Wadsworth was here, so he had to give him some face. Otherwise, Qin Chu would definitely rush up and beat this guy up.

However, although he couldn’t disrespect Wadsworth, Qin Chu didn’t care about the Grand Prince’s face at all. He walked towards Lance with a gentle smile, while the Grand Prince’s eyes were about to burst with anger. Lance was surprised to find that Qin Chu actually raised his hand and patted his face lightly. It didn’t hurt, but it was extremely humiliating.

While patting him gently, Qin Chu said, “He’s just a child, it’s understandable for him to be a little naughty. As an elder, I, as his uncle, won’t hold it against him.”

“But we need to teach him a good lesson, otherwise, he’ll become a spoiled brat when he grows up.”

Lance’s teeth gnashed together, making a grinding sound. He was biting down so hard that blood seemed to be seeping from his gums.

He was about to explode with anger. He had never been so angry in his life. His face was extremely distorted and hideous, his eyes filled with resentment.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably. He didn’t know how much willpower he had used to suppress the urge to rush up and kill this bastard.

Humiliation.

Unprecedented humiliation since he was born.

The surrounding nobles looked at each other. Although they knew it was inappropriate, it was too difficult to hold back their laughter, their faces contorted.

“Alright, your Uncle Qin is magnanimous and won’t hold it against you. Why don’t you get lost?” Wadsworth immediately shouted at Lance, who was still standing there trembling.

Lance, hunched over, left with his body shaking. He was almost biting off his own teeth.

Qin Chu… I will definitely repay the humiliation you gave me today tenfold.

Wadsworth glanced at the surrounding nobles, and they dispersed in a hurry. A few people came out of the crowd and dragged Horn and the others away. Their fate was obvious. Wadsworth wouldn’t let them live in this world anymore.

But the busy Emperor didn’t leave. Qin Chu smiled and walked towards Natia.

Natia’s expression was still calm, as if what had just happened had nothing to do with her.

“Miss Natia, thank you for being willing to stand up for me just now,” Qin Chu expressed his gratitude.

Natia shook her head slightly, “I just said what I heard.”

“By the way, Miss Natia, Violet has just arrived in the Imperial City and is very interested in the pastries here. Could you please introduce them to her?” Qin Chu made a gentlemanly request to Natia.

Natia didn’t think much of it and nodded. She took Angelica and Violet into the cake shop. On the wide street, only Qin Chu and Wadsworth were left.

Nikles and his soldiers were dismissed, and other royal guards completely sealed off the area, preventing anyone from approaching.

After the surroundings gradually quieted down, Wadsworth suddenly broke the silence, “Brother Qin, your strength has improved very quickly.”

Although Horn was an idiot, his strength was still decent. Qin Chu could easily defeat him. It seemed that during the eight days he was away from the Imperial City, the Hero had gained a lot of benefits.

Qin Chu said a little embarrassedly, “The Champion of Justice ability is very strong. Natia eliminated tens of thousands of Minotaurs. Although I didn’t contribute much, I also gained some benefits.”

Wadsworth was very envious. This was practically cheating.

Then he seemed a little tired, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He pressed his forehead with two fingers, seemingly having a headache.

It took more than ten seconds for Wadsworth to recover.

Emperor?

It seemed glamorous, but the pressure he had to bear was definitely not something ordinary people could handle.

Internal strife within the royal family, conflicts between nobles and the royal family, conflicts between imperial power and divine power…

“There are nobles within, and the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess outside… And the chosen heir is an idiot, completely infatuated with Loseweisse…” He complained about the pressure he had accumulated, like a tired middle-aged office worker on Earth.

He no longer had his previous imposing manner, like an aging lion.

He was confiding in Qin Chu. He was a very shrewd man. This confession wasn’t a sign of true weakness, but rather a way to bring them closer.

…

On the other side.

The Grand Prince Lance returned to the palace in a rage.

His light brown eyes were bloodshot.

Unprecedented humiliation brought unprecedented anger. Lance had never been so humiliated in his life. He recalled the scene of himself apologizing to Qin Chu.

Being patted on the face by a bastard younger than him, who claimed to be his elder and wouldn’t hold it against him, a little kid…

His blood rushed to his head, and Lance gnashed his teeth so hard that they almost shattered.

He was like a completely crazed mad dog, frantically destroying everything in the room. Exquisite porcelain, glass, anything that could be smashed was turned into debris on the floor.

Bestial, suppressed, and mad roars came from his throat.

His eyes were filled with venomous hatred.

Qin Chu… Bastard.

I’ll kill you sooner or later…

Everyone knew that His Highness the Grand Prince was in a very bad mood now. The attendants outside didn’t dare to approach him at this time. If they were accidentally killed by the Grand Prince, they would have died in vain!

With his clothes tattered and his hair disheveled, Lance no longer had any of the demeanor of a Grand Prince.

Qin Chu, that damned bastard, was just a Hero, what was so great about him? How dare he humiliate him like this?

That old man was actually so biased towards Qin Chu, even making him apologize to Qin Chu in front of so many people, making him lose all face… Damn it, if only he had enough strength, if only he wasn’t that old man’s opponent…

The words Qin Chu had said before echoed in Lance’s mind.

“We just spent a few wonderful nights together. I will always cherish those memories.”

Ahhhhh…

Lance wailed like a wounded beast, pulling at his hair with both hands, his heart filled with pain.

Just thinking about Loseweisse’s pure and beautiful body being defiled by Qin Chu, the intense pain, jealousy, and hatred almost drove him mad.

In Lance’s heart, Loseweisse was always pure and beautiful. He would never allow the faith in his heart to be destroyed.

Loseweisse was his, only he was qualified to enjoy her perfect body.

He wanted to kill Qin Chu so badly…

But… he couldn’t. Even if he wanted to, the Holy See, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, and the forces of Sage Mountain would stop him, even his father would stop him.

Damn it, he didn’t have the power.

If he could have power as strong as his father’s… no, even stronger than his father’s, power that could rival anyone in the entire Heavenly Continent… then he could kill Qin Chu without any scruples.

His soul, consumed by pain, hatred, and a longing for power, was on the verge of collapse.

His consciousness, in an extreme state, seemed to have made contact with some entity in the void.

A strange whisper echoed in his ears:

“Young man, do you desire power?”

Chapter 120: Why Don’t You Apologize to Your Uncle Qin? 

Qin Chu’s ruthlessness was on full display at this moment. He said he would give Horn three chances, and it was three chances, not a second more.

When the three seconds were up, his silver fist smashed towards Horn’s head without any hesitation.

The bright silver flames writhing like vipers made Horn’s scalp tingle. Seeing the silver light approaching, the fear in his heart exploded, and he could no longer bear it. He screamed out the name of the mastermind behind it all.

The Grand Prince.

But the fist didn’t stop, it continued to approach.

Just when Horn thought his head would be smashed into a pulp in the next instant, the fist suddenly swerved to the side and slammed into the ground beside his head with a bang.

The ground cracked.

The silver flames even melted some of the shattered stone slabs.

Battle Qi, carrying shattered stones, flew in all directions, hitting Horn’s cheek.

Countless wounds appeared on Horn’s cheek from the scorching hot stones, half of his face a bloody mess, revealing the white cheekbone underneath.

Horn didn’t die, but the intense pain made his body writhe like a maggot.

He didn’t even have the strength to scream, only whimpering.

“Wouldn’t it have been better if you had been obedient from the start?” Qin Chu said, finally standing up.

Nikles behind him was ashen-faced.

The Hero had directly exposed the truth, this was a direct conflict between two powerful figures.

Nikles trembled, hoping that he wouldn’t be implicated.

The surroundings were deathly silent. The minor nobles looked at each other, none of them daring to speak. They all knew they had heard something they shouldn’t have.

Some of the smarter ones had already started to sneak away, afraid of being involved in this matter.

This level of conflict wasn’t something that minor nobles were qualified to be involved in. Damn it, they were caught in the crossfire just by watching the show.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

The sound of hooves became clearer and denser. The originally dense crowd hurriedly parted to the sides, and then a figure riding a tall white horse appeared from behind.

The warhorse charged straight towards Qin Chu and then stopped abruptly.

Eighteen attendants behind him followed in unison.

Both the warhorse and the attendants displayed exceptional quality.

On the white horse at the front was a young man in his twenties, dressed in gold velvet.

He had a square face, sword-like eyebrows, and starry eyes, with a long sword hanging from his waist.

Although he hadn’t spoken a word, he exuded an air of authority.

Even if you didn’t know this person’s identity, just by looking at him, you could clearly sense what it meant to be noble.

Lance.

The Grand Prince of the Auville Empire, Wadsworth’s eldest son, the most promising heir to the throne.

Although in Qin Chu’s eyes, Lance didn’t resemble Wadsworth at all. If they were on Earth, Qin Chu would definitely strongly suggest that Wadsworth get a paternity test to see if he had been cuckolded.

Even though the person in front of him was the Hero summoned by the Thirteen Sages of the Heavenly Continent with great effort, the one who would save the entire world in the future, Lance’s expression was still arrogant. He didn’t even get off his warhorse.

His brown eyes, with a wolf-like cruelty, swept over Qin Chu, his hostility and killing intent towards the Hero barely concealed.

He was very strong.

Although not as strong as Loseweisse, he was also close to level 80, probably even stronger than what Nikles had told him.

“You are Qin Chu…” His condescending voice was laced with disdain. He had the most noble bloodline in the entire Auville Empire, he had the capital to be arrogant.

Speaking of which, at the banquet held to welcome him, many members of the royal family were present, but Lance was nowhere to be seen.

After all, according to the oracle of the Holy See, the Saintess was to become the Hero’s lover.

For Lance, who was deeply in love with Loseweisse, Qin Chu was definitely the last person he wanted to see.

It was also possible that because the First Hero appeared gentle and refined on the surface, giving Lance the impression that he was harmless, the Grand Prince thought that the Second Hero Qin Chu would be the same, not taking him seriously at all.

Although the fact that Qin Chu could defeat Horn surprised Lance a little, it wasn’t enough for him to consider Qin Chu as an opponent.

The fact that the Hero had only been in this world for a few days was very deceptive. Even though Horn’s miserable state was right before his eyes, it was hard to believe that this Hero already possessed such formidable strength. They would even come up with other explanations, such as the Hero launching a sneak attack, or Horn being careless.

This was especially true for the arrogant Lance, who had grown up surrounded by flattery. He would never admit that Qin Chu was better than him.

However, Lance forgot one thing, that even his father, Wadsworth, had to be polite to Qin Chu.

Qin Chu wasn’t angry at Lance’s rudeness, but the image of Lance laughing wildly on the execution platform kept appearing in his mind.

Although Lance wasn’t the mastermind behind framing him, just because he laughed the loudest, Qin Chu decided to teach him a good lesson.

The more arrogant Lance was, the more gentlemanly Qin Chu’s smile became, “That would be me!”

“You left the Imperial City with Loseweisse for eight days, what did you do?” Lance’s eyes narrowed.

This was the question Lance desperately wanted to know.

Qin Chu scratched his head, “You mean the Saintess? We didn’t do anything, just spent a few wonderful nights together. I will always cherish those memories.”

Qin Chu blinked and said, deliberately provoking the prince.

He did spend a few nights with the Saintess, but they didn’t do anything. Most of the time, he was with Ekaterina and Violet. It was indeed a memorable time.

But to Lance’s ears, it sounded completely different.

Qin Chu could even clearly see the noble Grand Prince’s pupils trembling, and an icy white killing intent surged from his body.

It felt as if the surrounding temperature had dropped.

Images of Qin Chu and Saintess Loseweisse doing this and that under the silver moonlight on a green meadow flashed through Lance’s mind, his blood rushing to his head.

That scene was too much.

Huh?

Why isn’t he attacking yet?

Qin Chu was surprised by Lance’s patience. He decided to provoke him a little more, “Oh, right, Loseweisse agreed to go on a date with me. I’ve already booked a hotel. If we get tired from the date, we can get a room to rest…”

Hiss…

Lance’s body trembled violently, and his right hand almost instinctively reached for the sword at his waist.

But he still managed to restrain himself, showing the demeanor of a Ninja Turtle.

No matter how much he wanted to kill the Hero, he absolutely couldn’t bear the crime of assassinating the Hero in public. Even his father couldn’t protect him. After all, this was related to the entire Heavenly Continent.

Although he was impulsive, he at least understood that he had to control his emotions at this time.

Lance pressed his hand on his stomach to prevent himself from exploding with anger. He took two deep breaths and ignored Qin Chu. He knew that if he continued talking to him, he would definitely lose control.

“Take Horn away. I have important matters to interrogate him about.”

As soon as Lance gave the order, several of his eighteen attendants stepped forward, preparing to forcefully take Horn away.

Qin Chu’s expression also darkened. He stepped on Horn’s face and glanced coldly at Lance, “Your Highness Grand Prince, isn’t it a bit too easy to just take him away like this…”

“This man said that you ordered him to provoke me and disrupt the united front of the Heavenly Continent against the Demon Beasts. Don’t you have any explanation?”

“Explanation?” Lance sneered, “This prince doesn’t need any explanation. Who heard those words? Are you just making things up?”

Lance’s gaze swept across the crowd. The surrounding nobles all lowered their heads. No one dared to speak up. After all, this was the future emperor. To not give face to the future emperor at this time, were they courting death?

“See, no one…”

Just as Lance was feeling smug, a voice suddenly came from the cake shop next door.

“I heard it. This man said that the mastermind behind it all was you, Your Highness Grand Prince.”

The cold voice sounded familiar. Qin Chu turned his head and saw that it was Natia.

Natia’s expression was serious. She completely ignored the Grand Prince’s livid face and walked straight towards him, “Your Highness Grand Prince, I heard it. Does my testimony have any credibility? You wouldn’t think that I, Natia, the Thirteenth Grand Mage of Sage Mountain, am lying, would you?”

Even facing the Grand Prince, Natia’s attitude wasn’t the least bit flattering, but cold and proud.

Actually, Natia was ready to take action when Horn raised his fist, but Qin Chu was too fast, and she didn’t have time.

Lance’s lips trembled uncontrollably. Damn it, this woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Those old monsters from Sage Mountain, the Thirteen Grand Mages, were a force that even Lance didn’t want to provoke easily.

Why was this woman standing up for Qin Chu?

With a livid face, Lance forced a smile, “Of, of course, Miss Natia wouldn’t lie. But… Horn might be lying. He wants to slander me. Hero, you wouldn’t believe such nonsense, would you?”

Qin Chu spread his hands, “Sorry, I believe it.”

Lance’s face grew uglier and uglier. He didn’t expect Qin Chu to be so disrespectful, completely ready to tear their faces apart… Of course, he also forgot that he had never given Qin Chu any face, so why should Qin Chu give him face?

If this matter continued to escalate, it would be very bad for his reputation. Lance took a deep breath, “I, as the Grand Prince, order you to get the hell out of my way… Move!”

Pfft…

Qin Chu couldn’t help but laugh, glancing at Lance with mocking eyes, “The Grand Prince’s order?”

“It’s worthless!”

The Grand Prince seemed to have not expected Qin Chu to be so vulgar and rude, but his attendants reacted faster.

These attendants were all the Grand Prince’s loyal followers. In their hearts, there was only the Grand Prince. What happened to the Heavenly Continent was never their concern. Hearing Qin Chu insult the Grand Prince, they immediately drew their weapons.

Battle Qi surged from their bodies.

They formed a circle around Qin Chu, just waiting for the Grand Prince’s order to hack him to death.

“Stop it!”

At this moment, a roar like a lion’s came from the distance.

When the sound was first heard, it was still far away. But by the time the last syllable fell, a sturdy figure had already arrived at the scene.

He had a strong, bear-like body, a resolute face that seemed to be cast from metal, broad shoulders, and sharp eyes.

As soon as he appeared, a wild, violent aura like a bloody battlefield swept over everyone.

The surrounding minor nobles couldn’t help but step back, unable to withstand the man’s powerful presence.

Many nobles even knelt on the ground because the sturdy man in front of them was the supreme ruler of the Auville Empire, the Emperor, Wadsworth.

The surroundings instantly fell silent. Wadsworth’s fierce gaze swept over the crowd, and the eighteen loyal followers, who were supposed to only obey the Grand Prince’s orders, subconsciously lowered their weapons and stepped back.

The Grand Prince Lance couldn’t help but lower his noble head and finally got off his warhorse. He couldn’t ride in front of Wadsworth.

Even Violet frowned slightly, her footsteps moving closer to Qin Chu. Her arms hung naturally at her sides, seemingly relaxed, but she was already prepared for battle.

This was a powerful opponent, Violet didn’t dare to be careless.

As expected of the Emperor of the Empire.

This aura…

This pressure…

Perhaps Saint Monique and Augustus were no weaker than Wadsworth in terms of strength.

But in terms of aura, no one could compare.

Even Qin Chu was a little impressed. This kind of aura couldn’t be built by strength alone. It was cultivated by being in the highest position for a long time.

Wadsworth’s gaze also swept over Violet, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He knew that Qin Chu had brought back a woman from outside, but he didn’t expect her to be so strong.

His gaze then swept over Natia, seemingly assessing the relationship between her and the Hero. Natia remained calm and unmoved.

After a few seconds, Wadsworth withdrew his gaze and looked at Qin Chu. His expression changed, and he patted Qin Chu’s shoulder with a hearty laugh, “Brother Qin, why are you so angry? It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding… We’re all good brothers, we shouldn’t let the words of a few fools ruin our harmony, right?”

Hold on, who’s your brother? If we’re talking about brotherhood, isn’t there a bit of an age gap?

No one knew how many of the surrounding onlookers were Wadsworth’s informants. The moment the conflict started, Wadsworth knew about it.

Although he appeared amiable on the surface, anger was building up in his chest.

That idiot Lance.

He had tried so hard to build a good relationship with the Hero, even preparing to send his smartest and most well-behaved daughter to the residence. But that idiot Lance had ruined all his efforts.

“Children, they don’t understand things. Brother Qin, don’t take it to heart.”

Wadsworth turned to Lance and roared, “Lance, why don’t you apologize to your Uncle Qin…”

Chapter 119: I Shouldn’t Have Hit You So Hard, I Almost Killed You 

Sometimes, Qin Chu even wondered what was wrong with this world, how could it breed such a group of rotten people?

Now, Qin Chu wanted to make this matter a big deal, the bigger the better. It would be more convenient for him to do some of his own things. He was still thinking about how to do it, and then someone handed him the opportunity on a silver platter.

The Grand Prince immediately gave Qin Chu the chance, and he really wanted to thank that idiot.

So Qin Chu was unscrupulous, completely disregarding gentlemanly etiquette, using crude language like. He wanted the people here to know that he was angry.

The surroundings fell silent. The nobles who had just accused Qin Chu suddenly remembered that as soon as Qin Chu arrived in the Heavenly Continent, he eliminated a Demon Beast spy at the banquet.

In the following days, he cleaned up all the hundreds of Demon Beasts lurking in the Imperial City.

No matter how they looked at it, it couldn’t be said that he hadn’t done anything, right?

If these hundreds of Demon Beasts were allowed to continue lurking in the Imperial City, continuously transmitting information, how much would the human world suffer?

They didn’t care about the lives of the soldiers on the front lines, but if those soldiers couldn’t stop the Demon Beasts and they invaded the Imperial City… Thinking of that scene, the nobles’ faces changed.

Especially after hearing Qin Chu’s decision to slack off and quit being the Hero, their faces turned even paler.

Without the Hero, who would fight those powerful Demon Beasts?

Who would defeat the terrifying Demon King?

They were afraid.

“You are a bunch of ungrateful bastards!”

“As soon as he was summoned, he eliminated hundreds of Demon Beasts. This is a feat that even the First Hero couldn’t achieve, and you actually forgot about it?”

“Don’t forget, the Hero also participated in the rescue operation for Benson, a former member of the Hero Squad. What a noble character! How can you slander the Hero like this…”

Some clever nobles immediately shamelessly changed their tune, seemingly forgetting that they were also part of the accusing crowd just now.

These nobles had very flexible moral standards.

Their fickleness made Angelica even angrier. Thinking that her master was actually fighting for such scum, she felt a surge of depression.

Violet was also dumbfounded. She was shocked by the shamelessness of these people. Although she had just realized that the people of this world had long since fallen, she still didn’t expect someone to be so shameless.

The sudden change in the situation made Horn’s face stiffen. Their original plan was to use public opinion to force the Hero to go to the front lines. Once he left the Imperial City, there would be countless opportunities to kill him, and the Grand Prince wouldn’t have to bear the blame.

As for the Hero?

They could just summon another one. It was just an outsider, who cared?

But he didn’t expect Qin Chu’s move to instantly turn the tables. The nobles who had just been agreeing with him now all pointed their fingers at him, blaming him for bumping into the great Hero.

Qin Chu’s expression became colder and colder, his icy gaze making Horn’s pupils constrict:

“General Horn, can you bear the consequences of me not being the Hero?”

These words made Horn’s body tremble.

If Qin Chu quit being the Hero and slacked off, the Demon Beast army would advance, the Four Heavenly Kings and Seventeen Generals of the Demon Beast army, and the most terrifying Demon King Nagath… Who would resist these powerful beings? How many humans would die because of this?

Hundreds of thousands, millions?

If Wadsworth, Saint Monique, and Augustus found out that it was because of his provocation that Qin Chu quit being the Hero, their wrath would be like thunder. He would definitely die, and his parents, children, siblings, even his friends and relatives, everyone related to him would be implicated.

Probably none of them would survive.

Thinking of this, Horn couldn’t help but shiver.

His face turned pale, his mouth watering rapidly, and his throat swallowing involuntarily.

At this moment, he suddenly saw the corners of Qin Chu’s lips curl up into a provocative smile. That smile was particularly dazzling.

Then, Qin Chu leaned forward slightly and said in a voice only he and Horn could hear:

“Coward, hit me…”

Hiss!

Qin Chu’s provocation made Horn’s mind race, his blood boiling.

He was a desperate thug, and it was precisely because he was ruthless and fearless that he was chosen by the Grand Prince to do some dirty work that was inconvenient for him to do personally. Under the Grand Prince’s arrangement, he entered the army, and in the battles against the Demon Beasts, he made quite a few contributions due to his fearless fighting spirit. The Grand Prince then used his influence to promote him to general, breaking the rules.

His personality was simple and crude. Qin Chu’s provocation instantly turned the fear that had just surged in his heart into anger.

He held Qin Chu’s collar with one hand, his other hand clenched into a fist, his eyes bloodshot: I’ll beat you to death!

His fist, the size of a sandbag, wrapped in earthy yellow Battle Qi, smashed towards Qin Chu’s face.

Seeing this scene, Angelica gasped and wanted to stop him, but Violet held her shoulder.

Violet’s face held a gentle smile. She knew that it was better to leave this matter to Qin Chu. This man wasn’t someone who would take things lying down.

There were many ways to handle this matter, but Qin Chu chose the most violent one. He must have his reasons.

She and Angelica just needed to watch quietly.

The surrounding nobles screamed in alarm. Nikles’s face also changed drastically. He knew that Horn wanted to provoke Qin Chu, but he thought it was just a provocation. He didn’t expect Horn to actually attack, even using his Battle Qi.

Seeing the fist heading straight for his face, Qin Chu suddenly smiled.

Horn’s heart trembled, and he inwardly cried out, “Oh no!” It was too late to retract his fist.

With a clap, just as the fist was about to hit his face, Qin Chu’s right hand caught Horn’s fist with lightning speed, stopping the huge fist instantly.

This scene made Horn and Nikles’s hearts jump.

He directly caught Horn’s fist infused with Battle Qi?

When did the Hero become so strong?

“Everyone saw it, he hit me first!” Qin Chu said with a smile.

Horn swung his arm forcefully, trying to pull his fist back.

But it was useless.

Qin Chu’s fingers were like a pair of iron pliers, tightly gripping Horn’s fist, making it completely immobile. Not only that, Qin Chu’s arm began to exert force gradually.

A strange creaking sound came from the friction between his finger bones. The intense pain made Horn’s face flush red, his entire face contorted, and his body trembling uncontrollably.

The Battle Qi attached to his fist was also under immense pressure, making a sound like metal grinding against metal.

Earth attribute Battle Qi wasn’t very strong in attack, but it was definitely the strongest in defense.

But now, even Horn’s well-trained Earth attribute Battle Qi couldn’t withstand Qin Chu’s pure brute force. With a pop, the Battle Qi attached to his fist instantly shattered.

Then, another clap.

Horn’s eyes widened abruptly, and a shrill scream pierced the sky.

His entire fist was crushed by Qin Chu.

His finger bones were crushed into pieces, his palm turned into a mess of flesh, and sticky blood dripped down the edge of Qin Chu’s hand.

The pain was excruciating!

Even though Horn was fearless, he couldn’t bear it at this moment. A pig-like squeal escaped his mouth, his shrill howls making people’s scalps tingle.

He finally let go of Qin Chu’s collar, his left hand pressing hard on his crushed right hand, but blood still gushed out like a faucet.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his pale face.

He had just thought that this so-called Hero was just a weakling he could easily crush, but who would have thought that it was him who was crushed instead?

Nikles behind him was also pale, his eyes filled with fear. He couldn’t believe that this Hero possessed such terrifying power. He had only been summoned for less than half a month, how could he have become so strong? Horn was level 65…

He vaguely regretted colluding with the Grand Prince.

Qin Chu also felt that it was time to show some strength. This person who delivered himself to his doorstep was just the right sacrifice. Seeing Horn’s pained expression, the smile on his face became colder.

His right hand shot out, grabbing Horn’s head before he could react. With a whoosh, he lifted Horn’s body into the air, and then…

Bang…

Face down, he slammed Horn’s body heavily onto the ground.

The ground trembled, and several stone slabs shattered.

A faint cracking sound could be heard. He didn’t know if Horn’s skull was fractured.

His nose was completely crushed, several teeth were knocked out, and blood gushed from his face.

Sigh… That felt good.

Shaking off the filth from his hand, Qin Chu smiled. It felt good to show off his strength a little.

The surroundings were silent.

When Qin Chu saw the shocked gazes of the surrounding people, he was speechless.

Did he accidentally display too much strength?

Well, whatever.

Looking at Horn, who was lying on the ground twitching like a dying toad, Qin Chu felt a little apologetic, “General Horn, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have hit you so hard. I almost killed you…”

Horn, who had just managed to raise his head a little, suddenly heard these words. He choked on his breath, and another mouthful of blood spurted out of his mouth.

Qin Chu didn’t bother with him. He flashed and appeared in front of a soldier with a bandaged head, tearing off the bandage to reveal a smooth forehead.

The soldier panicked and tried to cover it, but it was too late.

“Your injury is fake?”

“Interesting.”

“You disguised yourselves as wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield and deliberately provoked the Hero, trying to disrupt the united front of the entire Heavenly Continent against the Demon Beasts…”

Qin Chu directly put a big label on them.

“Can you bear this crime?”

Qin Chu walked towards Horn step by step, “Tell me, who is behind this?”

Horn, who had barely managed to turn around, stared at Qin Chu with defiant eyes, like a crazed beast, as if he wanted to tear him apart alive.

“No one ordered me. I just don’t like you…” Horn growled in a low voice, his words muffled because he had lost too many teeth.

Qin Chu wasn’t angry. He just raised a finger.

“What does that mean?”

“I have patience for you, you have three chances. After three chances, I will kill you…”

As he spoke, Qin Chu raised a second finger. Horn’s question counted as one.

Horn’s bloodshot eyes widened, his body instinctively struggling and twisting, “You, you can’t kill me. I’m a soldier of the Auville Empire. According to the laws of the empire, only a military court can…”

The third finger went up.

The next second, Star Flame Battle Qi erupted. Silver-white flames wrapped around Qin Chu’s arm like writhing vipers.

A silver flash, and Qin Chu’s fist went straight for Horn’s face.

“It’s the Grand Prince!”

Chapter 118: Hero? I Quit! 

These people looked like they had just come off the battlefield, their bodies covered in wounds.

Their faces were etched with pain, and their eyes even held a hint of resentment as they walked straight towards Qin Chu.

“Violet, what do you think these people are trying to do?” Qin Chu asked Violet casually.

“It’s obvious, they’re coming for you,” Violet quickly answered.

Although she had been alone for over a thousand years, her intelligence as a former Saintess was undeniable.

The current Violet had regained her sanity, and after a few days of interaction, she had some understanding of the outside world.

Demon Beasts, war, and the Hero…

Although there were no Demon Beasts in Violet’s time.

After a moment of thought, Violet gave a detailed answer, “If I’m not mistaken, they’re probably using these wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield to accuse you, the Hero, of being idle, not fighting the Demon Beasts, but instead staying in the Imperial City and indulging in pleasure…”

Indulging in pleasure? Me?

I did do some things!

“After all, on one side are wounded soldiers, and on the other side is the Hero with two beauties by his side and a group of guards behind him. The contrast easily makes people think that you, the Hero, are terrible.”

Qin Chu smiled. Lance was a bit smarter than he had imagined.

In the first playthrough, he spent almost every day training in the training grounds, so Lance probably didn’t have the opportunity to carry out such a plan.

“You actually called yourself a beauty?”

“Of course, although I’m a bit tall, I’m confident in my looks.” Violet’s answer was straightforward. She didn’t think it was shameful to say that she was beautiful.

Perhaps the customs a thousand years ago were different from now.

After a brief pause, Violet continued, “If their plan succeeds, then the next step should be to force you to appear on the front lines against the Demon Beasts. After all, anyone with a bit of pride wouldn’t be able to stand being humiliated like this.”

“For a Hero whose strength hasn’t fully developed yet, the probability of death on the front lines against the Demon Beasts is very high.”

“As for whether you die at the hands of Demon Beasts or human assassins, there’s a lot of room for manipulation.”

“If you’re really thick-skinned and completely indifferent, they can also create chaos and ruin your reputation as the Hero, or create opportunities for assassins later. After the incident, they can blame it on other countries not wanting to see the empire’s power continue to grow. As for these soldiers, just silence them.”

Although it was simple, it was indeed a very vicious plan.

Violet looked at Qin Chu, “This is my judgment, what do you think?”

Qin Chu nodded, his expression calm, “Yes, I think so too.”

“Do you need me to beat them up?” Violet looked eager to try, her gentle demeanor seemingly unable to hold on, “However, their disguise is too bad. If they’re going to do this, at least get some real injuries. Even faking their injuries, they have no professional ethics. And that general, he’s too impulsive, not a qualified leader, just a desperate thug.”

Was this the wisdom gained from living for a thousand years? She could even see through the other party’s personality.

Fake injuries?

Qin Chu shook his head, “No, no, I think it’s necessary for me, as the Hero, to teach Wadsworth’s son a lesson. This time, I’ll do it myself.”

Since the other party had already handed him the opportunity, if he didn’t take advantage of it to make a scene and teach that Grand Prince a lesson, then he wouldn’t be Qin Chu.

He did need to show some strength.

His strength had increased, and he had a companion like Violet by his side. If he continued to be cautious like before, he would be looked down upon and arouse suspicion.

Otherwise, everyone would think he, the Hero, was easy to bully. Although it wouldn’t really affect him, it was still annoying to have flies buzzing around his ears all the time.

Qin Chu also didn’t want to stay in the Imperial City forever. There were too many eyes here, making many things inconvenient. His current strength wasn’t strong enough. Only by coming into contact with Demon Beasts could he increase his strength without any scruples.

The most important point was that Qin Chu was very vengeful.

He hadn’t forgotten that when he was executed, it was this bastard who laughed the loudest in the stands.

If he didn’t teach this idiot a lesson, he really thought he was made of clay?

As the two sides approached, Qin Chu, being an elegant gentleman, wasn’t as arrogant as ordinary nobles. He even politely made way for the wounded soldiers.

But Qin Chu’s courtesy wasn’t met with the same treatment. A wounded soldier stumbled and bumped into him.

Then, as if he had hit a spring, the soldier was instantly sent flying backwards. Before he could get up from the ground, he started screaming, coughing up blood, “He hit me… He hit a wounded soldier…”

His exaggerated acting stunned Qin Chu.

Couldn’t they find some professional actors? Didn’t they even rehearse?

His scream instantly attracted the attention of countless people. On both sides of the street, all eyes were fixed on them. Gossip was human nature, even for nobles.

In an instant, they were surrounded by three layers of people, pointing and whispering.

The general at the front rushed forward and grabbed Qin Chu by the collar, his thick, hairy arm almost lifting him off the ground.

He was a desperate thug who had risen to his current position because of the Grand Prince. He would faithfully carry out the Grand Prince’s orders, and the consequences weren’t his concern.

“Bastard, are you blind? Can’t you see that my brothers are all injured? You deliberately bumped into him?” The general reprimanded him sharply.

Angelica wanted to explain that her master had already made way, and it was the soldier who had accidentally bumped into him, but Qin Chu stopped her with a look.

Qin Chu didn’t resist at all. He just smiled faintly and stared at the man in front of him.

That gaze seemed to possess a power that could see through everything. Although Qin Chu didn’t do anything, it made the general’s hair stand on end.

It was as if the Hero in front of him knew everything about their plan.

That was impossible, right? This Hero had been away for several days and only returned last night. He must be overthinking it.

Besides, even if he knew, so what? The current Hero was just a weakling. He had the Grand Prince backing him. With the Grand Prince’s protection, there was no need to be afraid of this Hero whose strength hadn’t fully developed yet. The Grand Prince had promised that after the matter was settled, he would reward him with a beautiful maid from his mansion, as well as a large sum of Mana. In these times, no one knew when they would die, so it was better to enjoy themselves first…

Seeing the conflict erupt, Nikles finally stepped forward with his guards. Of course, he didn’t break through the encirclement of wounded soldiers.

“General Horn, please calm down. This is just a misunderstanding. You don’t know yet, do you? This is the Hero. I believe the Hero didn’t do it on purpose,” Nikles tried to mediate.

Nikles had been bribed.

This guy, with one sentence, confirmed that Qin Chu had deliberately bumped into the soldier.

General Horn, as if waiting for these words, swept his fierce, bloodshot eyes over Qin Chu, then over Angelica and Violet, whose tall stature shocked even him. Then, a twisted smile appeared on his rough face, “Hero?”

“Can a Hero be so arrogant and bump into people on the street?”

“Our brothers just came back from the battlefield fighting Demon Beasts, all of them injured. The Hero so recklessly bumped into our brother, isn’t this bullying honest people? Is there any justice? Is there any law?” Horn shouted loudly, instantly putting Qin Chu in a very bad position.

Qin Chu was speechless. He felt that the last two sentences sounded familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before.

Whispers came from all around, seemingly agreeing that even the Hero shouldn’t be so arrogant, especially towards these soldiers who had returned from the battlefield with honorable scars.

The whispers around him made Horn even more smug. He grinned, “So what if he’s the Hero? Our brothers are fighting the Demon Beasts on the front lines, and you’re just lazing around in the Imperial City, doing nothing. With your attitude, are you worthy of being the Hero?”

“We summoned the Hero for you to fight the Demon Beasts. You should be on the battlefield, not here indulging in pleasure, surrounded by beautiful women.”

“Tsk, tsk, two beauties by your side, are you having fun?”

As soon as he said this, a group of brainless nobles expressed their agreement.

Accusations towards Qin Chu began to come from all directions.

“That’s right, although he’s the Hero, it seems he hasn’t done anything.”

“Don’t say that, the Hero is still growing, he needs time…”

“But we haven’t seen him grow. He does have two beautiful girls by his side, though.”

“Is this guy really the Hero? I don’t think he deserves the title. He’s far worse than the First Hero.”

“Has he made any contribution to our world? He even takes a salary of 100,000 Mana every month… That’s almost enough for me to buy a new dress.”

“I heard he’s even two-timing four women…”

“Please, isn’t the Hero’s mission to eliminate Demon Beasts? He’s here to play with women? As expected of an outsider we summoned, he won’t work hard for our Heavenly Continent.”

The accusations from all around made Angelica’s face flush red. She trembled with anger and wanted to retort, but there were too many accusations. She didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

There were a few voices speaking up for Qin Chu, but they were quickly drowned out by the noisy clamor.

Violet was also a little confused. She didn’t expect that after a thousand years, the human world would have become so bad.

She looked at Qin Chu suspiciously. Was it really necessary to fight the Demon Beasts to protect these people?

This was truly a terrible world, terrible people. Their souls had already rotted.

It would be better to let these people fend for themselves.

The accusations around him grew louder and louder, and Qin Chu’s expression gradually turned cold. After a few seconds, he suddenly roared:

“Shut the fuck up!”

His roar was like rolling thunder.

Everyone felt a buzzing in their ears, and the words they were about to say were stuck in their throats, unable to come out.

No one expected this idle Hero to dare to be so arrogant at this time.

Qin Chu’s expression was very ugly. Horn was a good warrior who had experienced many battles, but at this moment, Qin Chu’s face made him feel a chilling fear. When Qin Chu’s gaze swept over the surrounding nobles and landed on his face, their eyes met, and Horn’s scalp tingled.

Finally, Qin Chu spoke, his voice icy cold:

“Hero? Who wants to be this Hero?”

“If you’re so capable, then don’t summon a Hero! Aren’t you all very powerful? Go fight the Demon Beasts yourselves, don’t rely on the Hero’s power!”

“You can’t, can you? If it weren’t for the First Hero, the people of your Heavenly Continent would probably be extinct by now, right?”

“I was living a good life in my original world, and you suddenly summoned me to this world. I haven’t said anything yet, and you bunch of people are here nagging and complaining. What are you?”

“Saying I haven’t done anything?”

“Who found the hundreds of Demon Beast spies in the Imperial City? If it weren’t for me eliminating those spies, how many of you would have died?”

Suddenly, there was dead silence all around. The nobles averted their gazes, not daring to meet Qin Chu’s eyes.

“Remember, I was forcefully summoned here by you. Whether the Heavenly Continent lives or dies, prospers or perishes, has nothing to do with me. Even if the Heavenly Continent is trampled flat by the Demon Beasts, I don’t care.”

“You don’t welcome me, this outsider, right?”

“Fine, from today onwards, I’m slacking off…”

“This Hero, I quit!”

Let chaos reign, Qin Chu wanted to make this matter a big deal!

Chapter 117: Angelica’s Intelligence 

“So, the problem now is not for you to be accepted by his women, but for his women to accept you…” Louisa keenly pointed out the crux of the matter.

Although Natia was excellent, it was perhaps because she was too excellent that the other party wouldn’t accept her.

But this was her best friend’s first love, after all. Even if the other party had other women, Louisa still wanted to help them get together. Otherwise, Natia might really be alone for the rest of her life.

Well, he was the Hero, so he should be a decent guy, right?

Natia tilted her head and thought for a moment, “I think that shouldn’t be a problem. Miss Angelica has clearly said that she can accept me.”

Louisa, who was thinking about how to make the clueless Natia please the Hero’s other woman, was stunned when she heard this.

What was going on?

Wasn’t possessiveness human nature? Why didn’t it work on these two people at all?

After a long time, Louisa muttered, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

…

On the other side, Qin Chu was leaving with Violet, Angelica, and the invisible Anthea and Shaye. The two ghosts were still nestled in Qin Chu’s body, and they wouldn’t appear easily unless it was absolutely necessary.

After all, there were many clerics in the Imperial City, and these people were very sensitive to the aura of ghosts and spirits. There was a possibility that they would be discovered.

On the streets, people were talking about the death of Benson, a former member of the Hero Squad.

The seventh prince of the Demon King Nagath publicly claimed that he was the one who killed Benson.

This matter had already spread throughout the city.

But it didn’t seem to cause much of a stir in the Imperial City. Although an important member had died in battle, it didn’t seem to have much to do with them. After all, the Demon Beasts invading the Imperial City was something unimaginable for these nobles who lived in an absolutely safe environment.

For these people, Benson’s death was just something to be mentioned in passing, even less interesting than the gossip about which young master was rumored to be dating which young lady, or which noble’s wife was caught cheating.

Violet was very curious about everything in the city. A year before the War of Faith broke out, she had accepted the invitation of the Auville Empire to visit the Imperial City. The current Imperial City was vastly different from what she remembered, and everything brought her a sense of novelty.

The architectural style, the clothes people wore, even their accents were different from what she remembered, which made Violet feel a little melancholic.

Nikles led a group of guards behind them, their gazes occasionally drifting towards Violet, clearly curious about her tall stature.

They also admired Qin Chu very much. As expected of the Hero, he was amazing.

Especially when they saw Violet clinging to the Hero affectionately, her fair arm holding his hand in a slightly strange way, they couldn’t help but marvel. No matter what kind of woman it was, she had to be submissive in front of the Hero.

This was probably the charm of the Hero.

It was the same with the First Hero. Originally, the Holy See, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, the Auville Empire, and more than a dozen small surrounding countries planned to join forces and form a Hero Squad.

They had already selected suitable members, whose strength was absolutely guaranteed, and who could represent the interests of different factions. It was the result of balancing all aspects.

But the First Hero directly refused. He wanted to choose his own squad members.

Moreover, the members recruited by the First Hero were almost all strange.

Ekaterina, the notorious female thug, was sought after by various factions, but she rejected them all without exception. She was even hunted down for killing a high-ranking noble, but as soon as the Hero appeared, she immediately accepted his invitation.

Not to mention Karsus, who killed his father, mother, and brother, dabbled in dark magic, and was hunted down by all factions. Even such a person was offered an olive branch by the First Hero.

The Ghost Archer Sylph, Muse the Mad, the Shield Warrior Benson, the Noble Ronald… Except for Saintess Loseweisse, almost none of them were normal.

Now it seemed that the situation with the Second Hero wasn’t much better.

Nikles led the guards, keeping a distance from the Hero and following behind. They were so intimate, there was no reason for them to act as light bulbs.

Angelica walked beside Qin Chu, reporting the information she had gathered during this time in a low voice.

“Master already knows about Athena’s situation. In addition to the Eyes of True Sight, Athena has practically walked every inch of the Imperial City in the past few days, contacting everyone who has interacted with Master. She’s very interested in Master eliminating hundreds of Demon Beasts.”

“She even went to the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess and had a conversation with Saint Monique, but no one knows what they talked about.”

Athena could barely be considered a believer of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess. Her family’s territory was located within the sphere of influence of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess.

“And it was after the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess received the oracle,” Angelica added.

Qin Chu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, “The Church of the Earth Mother Goddess received an oracle?”

Weren’t almost all the gods dead? How could they still receive an oracle? But the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess still had believers. Could it be that they were the victors of the divine war?

“Yes, it was on the third day after Master left.”

“What was the content of the oracle?”

Angelica shook her head apologetically, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find out the specific content of the oracle. Saint Monique kept it very secret, but it seems to be related to Athena. The day after receiving the oracle, Saint Monique specifically met with Athena.”

Qin Chu wasn’t angry that Angelica couldn’t get the information. He patted her head gently and said, “It’s okay. I told you, your safety is the most important thing.”

Then, Qin Chu carefully considered this matter. There were indeed significant differences between the second playthrough and the first. At least in the first playthrough, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess hadn’t received an oracle.

It was very likely that this change was caused by him.

But he couldn’t judge what impact this change would have on him.

“What else?” After a moment of silence, Qin Chu temporarily put aside the matter of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess’s oracle and asked.

“Augustus is very quiet. He hasn’t done anything special.”

Quiet?

That old fox wasn’t someone who could stay quiet. His so-called calmness was probably just a facade for others.

“Wadsworth hasn’t done anything against Master either. Apart from preparing to choose a princess from the royal family to send to the residence, Wadsworth’s attention is more focused on his eldest son.”

“The Grand Prince, Lance?”

“Yes, it’s His Highness Lance,” Angelica nodded, her expression becoming a little serious, “Master, His Highness Lance is someone you must be wary of. He’s very dissatisfied with you and Loseweisse leaving the Imperial City for several days. I heard that he even said in public that he wanted to kill you…”

Qin Chu touched his nose.

It was understandable.

Although he was innocent and was only taken out of the city by Loseweisse, for Lance, the Grand Prince who was very fond of Loseweisse and had a strong possessive streak, it was natural for him to be furious when the woman he liked left the city with another man for several days and returned late at night.

“The relationship between His Majesty Wadsworth and His Highness Lance has also become very strained. It’s said that His Majesty Wadsworth has already summoned Lance’s fiancée from the Duchy, hoping that Lance will get married soon and give up on Loseweisse.”

Qin Chu found it a little amusing that Wadsworth, one of the strongest people in the Heavenly Continent, was now troubled by his son’s marriage.

Divine authority and imperial authority had always been in conflict.

As the highest representative of imperial authority, Wadsworth would never want or allow his son to marry Loseweisse.

After all, although this son was talented in cultivating Battle Qi and martial skills and could be considered intelligent, he was far inferior to the cunning Saintess Loseweisse. If they really got married, he would definitely be completely controlled by her.

Speaking of Lance’s fiancée, Qin Chu even had some impression of her. She was a very elegant and gentle woman, who had received the strictest education from a young age, striving to become a princess.

Although she hadn’t met Prince Lance much, because of the ideas instilled in her since childhood, she loved Prince Lance wholeheartedly. But in the end, Lance publicly declared that if he couldn’t marry Loseweisse, he would rather die alone than marry her.

Eighteen years of affection were shattered in an instant, and she suffered such humiliation in front of countless nobles and clerics. The princess-to-be couldn’t bear it and took Nightshade flowers, falling into an eternal sleep.

The death of the princess-to-be directly led to a rebellion in the Grand Duchy, causing the humans to suffer the disaster of civil war while facing the Demon Beasts. The Auville Empire suffered the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives for no reason.

Because of this incident, Qin Chu’s evaluation of Lance was that he was an idiot, even stupider than a pig.

If he was just an ordinary person, or even a minor noble, then Lance could pursue his own love.

But he wasn’t. He was the Grand Prince. He carried the burden of the entire Auville Empire on his shoulders. His marriage couldn’t be swayed by his own feelings. If he couldn’t even understand this, then if he really ascended to the throne, he would only bring disaster to the empire.

In fact, Wadsworth was later completely disappointed in his eldest son and decided to cultivate his third son, a son who, although not as strong as the Grand Prince, was more steady and rational.

“Master, please be careful. Recently, there have been more and more strangers appearing near the residence. Although they are dressed as ordinary nobles, from the way they walk, it can be seen that they are well-trained soldiers. The Grand Prince is very impulsive, he might…” Angelica whispered, “Moreover, Nikles has been in contact with those people many times.”

Qin Chu understood that this Lance was very likely to provoke conflicts, even assassination attempts. Based on his understanding of Lance, this guy was capable of doing such things.

After all, for Lance, what happened to the Heavenly Continent wasn’t as important as whether he could win Loseweisse’s favor. Loseweisse was the most important thing in the world to him.

Well, actually, Qin Chu felt that Violet was the biggest now. Her foundation was there. Even though Athena’s proportions were more exaggerated, there was still a gap in overall scale.

An opponent like Lance was easy to deal with. He wasn’t on the same level as Loseweisse, Augustus, and Wadsworth.

The truly terrifying enemies were the ones who hid in the shadows and stabbed you in the back. Qin Chu had personal experience with this.

Actually, His Highness the Grand Prince had already started to take action, but Angelica hadn’t noticed it yet.

Violet, holding Qin Chu’s other hand, looked straight ahead. Her lips didn’t move, but a faint voice echoed directly in Qin Chu’s ear, carried by the breeze:

“Seventeen meters behind us, there are four stalkers, Rogue class, probably assassins.”

“Two people by the window of the hotel on the left.”

“Three people inside the clothing store on the right…”

“Judging from their aura fluctuations, they are around level 60, average strength…”

Level 60 was already considered a high-level expert in the Heavenly Continent, but in Violet’s eyes, it was only average.

The corners of Qin Chu’s lips curled up. He didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Not far ahead, a middle-aged general in his forties, with a full beard and the look of a hothead, was walking towards them with a group of soldiers whose heads and arms were wrapped in bloody bandages. Some of them were even on crutches…

Chapter 116: You’ve Really Fallen for Him 

Watching Ekaterina reluctantly dragging her feet towards the residence, Athena’s eyes held a hint of pity.

After she escaped, that lecherous Qin Chu would definitely set his sights on Sister Ekaterina, right?

Sister Ekaterina would be tormented by that guy again.

But there was nothing she could do. Athena couldn’t accept Qin Chu on top of her right now.

Even if it was effective for Lord Jie Luo’s soul recovery, she could endure it if it was Jie Luo’s consciousness controlling that body. But if it was Qin Chu’s own consciousness, she felt a physiological resistance.

Too much had happened today, and Athena’s mind was still a mess.

The shock of seeing Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment, the joy of his remnant soul awakening, the happiness of becoming Jie Luo’s woman…

Thinking back now, she seemed to have been too impulsive.

Her usual rationality had been shattered by the series of events.

Originally, even if Jie Luo’s remnant soul was residing in Qin Chu’s body, she wouldn’t have immediately given herself to him.

After all, it was Qin Chu’s body, and it was also the most important moment in her life.

Athena was also a woman. She also liked romance and fantasies.

She hoped that her first time would be more ceremonial, wearing a pure white wedding dress, exchanging rings under the blessings of the clergy in a church, kissing and caressing each other in a beautifully decorated and cozy room, welcoming her most important moment in happiness.

But just now, it was just an ordinary bedroom, no wedding dress, no church, and she was even facing Qin Chu’s face. It just happened so naturally.

After Lord Jie Luo said he would marry Ekaterina and that she would be his good sister, she acted impulsively in the heat of the moment.

Athena raised her small fist and knocked on her head in annoyance. She was usually a very calm person and would never be so reckless and impulsive. What was wrong with her today?

She decided to go to a tavern for a drink. Under the streetlights, Athena’s figure cast a long shadow. A cool breeze blew past, and she shivered.

She suddenly stopped.

A thought that abruptly popped into her mind made Athena’s face turn pale and her scalp tingle.

Could it be… that all of this was arranged?

Large beads of sweat rolled down her pale face. She had never been so scared before. If all of this was fake, she would truly go mad.

Perhaps this was a smart person’s intuition.

At first, it was just Lord Jie Luo’s sudden appearance that overwhelmed her mind. Now that she thought about it carefully, there seemed to be many loopholes.

Starting from when Qin Chu and Ekaterina returned to the Imperial City, she saw their passionate exchange, overheard their conversation, formed her own speculation, and then Lord Jie Luo’s remnant soul controlled Qin Chu’s body and appeared before her, confirming her judgment.

The whole process…

Seemed too smooth.

So smooth that Athena’s scalp tingled. It was as if an invisible hand was guiding her step by step to approach, to dig, to believe in the so-called truth.

Was all of this just Qin Chu’s plan?

Could there be memories of Lord Jie Luo in the soul fragment? Did Qin Chu learn the nickname “Little Athena” through the soul fragment and design this terrifying plan just to get his hands on her body?

Not only her, but even Ekaterina was being toyed with by Qin Chu in this way…

The thought that suddenly appeared in her mind was like a bolt of lightning striking Athena’s head, making her stand frozen in place.

Her voluptuous body trembled. She recalled what had just happened, Qin Chu’s rough hands ravaging her body, sliding over every inch of her skin.

She remembered the kiss just now.

A strong sense of disgust suddenly surged in her heart, her stomach churning violently. Athena felt the urge to vomit under the lamppost.

No, no, no…

Intense fear and tension made Athena’s chest heave rapidly. She shook her head repeatedly, forcing herself to calm down.

If this was really what she thought it was, then Qin Chu was too terrifying…

Soul crystals were very mysterious. Even Athena had never encountered one before, and there were very few records about them. No one could be sure if there were memories inside. Even if there were, the memories stored in a broken fragment would be incomplete. Qin Chu couldn’t possibly know so much detail.

Moreover, Athena herself didn’t know how to analyze a soul crystal. Qin Chu, who had only been in this world for a few days, couldn’t possibly master it, and with his Mana level, it was impossible for him to do it.

Most importantly, if this was really a plan designed by Qin Chu, then he would never show Lord Jie Luo’s soul fragment in front of her, leaving such a big flaw.

Increasing her suspicion wouldn’t benefit Qin Chu at all, and might even make her lose control and kill him on the spot. Qin Chu was a cunning and insidious man, he wouldn’t take such a big risk.

For every speculation in her mind, Athena found many strong counter-arguments.

After eliminating all the impossibilities, then… what remained was the truth.

The one who communicated with her just now was the real Jie Luo.

So gentle.

She could still see the image from the Eye of True Sight. Ekaterina, who had just returned to the residence, couldn’t find her. Qin Chu, who was anxious, set his sights on her, and she, looking dazed and like a walking corpse, endured his torment.

This was the real Qin Chu, right?

She was really overthinking it.

He was just a good-for-nothing who coveted beauty, how could he be such a terrifying monster?

Athena felt a little relieved.

Besides, how could someone like Qin Chu possibly imitate Lord Jie Luo’s aura?

Now, it was time to think about the situation with Karsus and Loseweisse.

…

Meanwhile, in Qin Chu’s bedroom, Ekaterina was sitting in his arms. What the Eye of True Sight saw was an illusion created by Qin Chu.

Ekaterina was still a little apprehensive, her hand on her chest. She had been worried that her acting skills wouldn’t meet the master’s standards.

“Do you think Athena really believed it?” Ekaterina tilted her head and asked cautiously.

“Hehe, Athena is very smart. Maybe she was overwhelmed before and completely believed it. But after calming down, she will definitely feel something is wrong. After all, our plan was designed in a very short time, it can’t be perfect.”

After a pause, Qin Chu continued in a flat tone, “But I don’t need her to believe it. I just need her to not trust anyone.”

It was very difficult to make someone believe in someone, but it was very easy to make someone doubt others.

“Athena is very sharp. As long as a seed of doubt is planted in her heart, she will suspect her companions, suspect me, suspect you, suspect everyone. This suspicion will make her isolated and distrustful of everyone. And when a person is isolated, it’s the easiest time to deal with them.”

Ekaterina’s face was full of admiration. As expected of the man she loved, he was cunning and insidious… Well, that seemed like an insult. In short, he was too smart.

After another two seconds, Ekaterina said thoughtfully, “Then, Master, aren’t you afraid that the fact that the First Hero’s soul fragment is on you will be exposed?”

“No, only this point can be completely confirmed.”

“Athena cares about Jie Luo very much. If the traitor finds out and kills me, Jie Luo will be completely finished. Even if she has doubts in her heart, as long as there’s a one in ten thousand chance, she won’t dare to do it.”

Besides, even if it was exposed, so what? At most, it would be a little troublesome. Who would believe it? Wadsworth? Saint Monique? Augustus? Everyone knew that the members of the Hero Squad were extremely disgusted with the summoning of the Second Hero. No one would believe anything she said that would damage Qin Chu’s reputation.

Most importantly, Qin Chu was now stronger, had more power, and was starting to rise up.

…

The next morning, Qin Chu stretched comfortably and got out of bed.

It was still early, and the air was cool and fresh.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw that Angelica was already awake, seemingly preparing breakfast.

Violet also came out from behind. Her soul body had recovered quite a bit.

Although she hadn’t been able to plunder the Seed of Life from Qin Chu, as long as she stayed by his side, she could be nourished at all times, stabilizing her soul.

“Good morning, Mr. Qin Chu.”

“Good morning.”

Speaking of which, when she wasn’t going berserk, Violet looked quite gentle. It was hard to imagine that this woman could be so violent in battle. Karsus, such a powerful knight, was actually stepped on by her.

Violet’s eyes were much more lively, and she looked around curiously.

It was already night when they came back yesterday, so she didn’t have time to see what the human world looked like now.

Qin Chu saw Violet’s expression and nodded, “Angelica, we don’t need to prepare breakfast today. Let’s eat out. I know a cake shop that tastes very good.”

He had met Natia at that cake shop last time, hopefully, it wouldn’t be so coincidental today.

Moreover, he also had to listen to Angelica’s report on the information she had gathered during this time. The residence was full of Eyes of True Sight left by Athena, making it very inconvenient to talk about certain things.

Athena was indeed still suspicious in her heart, otherwise, she would have removed the Eyes of True Sight long ago.

What a cunning woman!

Violet’s eyes suddenly lit up. She had lived in the desert for over a thousand years. Although she was used to being alone, she was really curious about what the world looked like now.

Her head, which was bigger than an ordinary girl’s but still small compared to her three-meter-tall body, nodded vigorously, looking forward to it.

Angelica also smiled and put down what she was doing. As intelligent as she was, she knew what her master wanted to do.

Yesterday, after her master returned, she finally had a good night’s sleep. The only pity was that her master still had a lot to do and couldn’t hold her in his arms.

However, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. Angelica looked forward to it.

Inside the Imperial City.

Katrina’s Cake Shop.

Two girls sat quietly at a table by the window.

One of them was Grand Mage Natia.

Across from Natia sat a tall woman whose figure, if seen from behind, would definitely be considered perfectly curvy. But if you looked at her from the front, you couldn’t help but sigh… It was like a small mound on a vast plain. If you didn’t look carefully, you wouldn’t even notice her existence.

You might even be so drawn to her extremely flat chest that you would overlook her rather pretty face.

A standard oval face, a pointed chin, long eyelashes.

She was wearing a gorgeous dress, the kind that only nobles could afford.

Unfortunately, this lady didn’t have any noble temperament at all. Seemingly finding the small fork too inconvenient to use, she directly picked up a piece of cake from the plate with her hand, took a big bite, and then wiped her mouth with a napkin… She was used to this kind of action.

Although her family had hired an etiquette teacher for her, it was completely useless.

Her parents had also thought that she was a disgrace to the family, but… in the end, they just let her be.

There was nothing they could do. Her books were too popular, and they brought in a lot of money.

This scene attracted many disapproving glances. They felt that this girl’s behavior was very rude. The only fortunate thing was that she didn’t wipe her mouth with her sleeve.

“Louisa, don’t just focus on eating. You have to help me analyze this. What’s going on with me?” Natia reminded her friend across from her in a muffled voice.

“Mmm… Gulp…”

Swallowing the cake in one bite and taking a big gulp of coffee, Louisa wiped the liquid from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, “Well, I heard you, I heard everything. You said that when that man touched you, your body did react, you liked his touch, and even craved more of it.”

“But when that man rejected you because of another girl, you didn’t feel much loss, right?”

Natia nodded glumly. She had been thinking about this question for days but couldn’t find an answer, so she could only seek help from her best friend.

“I don’t feel the possessiveness you mentioned at all. Even if other girls get close to him, I don’t feel uncomfortable…” Natia added.

“Possessiveness…”

Louisa poked her cheek lightly with her finger. This gesture was a bit cute. Her bright eyes looked at her best friend across from her, “Natia… You didn’t understand what I said before.”

“Possessiveness is directed at ordinary girls. Are you an ordinary girl?”

“Your childhood experiences were completely different from ours. Before this, did you even know what possessiveness was?”

“Magic is the most precious thing to you, right? If I asked you to teach me your magic… Ah, no, not me, someone else, what would you do?”

Natia thought about this question seriously, “If she has talent, I don’t mind.”

“That’s right, that’s it. You grew up on Sage Mountain, and twelve old men taught you everything they knew, sharing their experiences in cultivating magic…”

“So, you never had the concept of possessiveness in your mind.”

“For you, magic can be shared, even the man you love can be shared.”

“Your reaction made me blush. My God, you actually took his finger in your mouth and even rubbed your face against his hand. Please, those are things couples do, okay?”

Natia directly ignored the rest of what Louisa said, “You mean, I’ve really fallen for him, right?”

“Yes, there’s no doubt about it. You’ve really fallen for him,” Louisa affirmed.

“So, in order to become his woman, go for it!”

Chapter 115: Let’s Work Together for Lord Jie Luo’s Full Resurrection 

Athena’s eyelids twitched. Ekaterina had also said before that because she was close to Loseweisse, she wasn’t trustworthy. Was there something wrong with Loseweisse?

Loseweisse was the one who loved to cling to Lord Jie Luo, the one who loved to act spoiled in front of the Hero, the one who loved Jie Luo the most!

Of course, Athena felt that her love for Lord Jie Luo was no less than Loseweisse’s.

“Loseweisse seems to be related to the Evil God!”

Athena was horrified. She almost jumped up and screamed.

This was impossible.

Loseweisse was the Saintess of the Holy See! How could she be related to the Evil God? She was so… so… uh…

Athena suddenly remembered the scene she had accidentally seen. Because Sylph was too close to Jie Luo, it angered Loseweisse. The dignified Saintess stood alone in a dark corner, cursing Sylph to die…

It seemed… not entirely impossible.

“Lord Jie Luo, why do you suspect Loseweisse?” Athena asked, puzzled.

She knew Loseweisse’s true face, but Lord Jie Luo definitely didn’t.

After all, this woman was very good at pretending. She always faced Jie Luo with the most innocent and pure appearance.

In the eyes of outsiders, she was a perfect Saintess, elegant, holy, innocent, and cute.

“Jie Luo” took a deep breath, his tone heavy, “Have you met Loseweisse?”

Athena didn’t hide it and nodded.

“Then, did she tell you that she and Karsus killed over a thousand Holy Knights?” “Jie Luo” said in a gloomy voice.

Athena shivered, her face even turning pale.

If it was Karsus who killed over a thousand Holy Knights, Athena wouldn’t be surprised. After all, Karsus gave off the impression that he was the type to go on a killing spree.

But Loseweisse?

She was the Saintess of the Holy See! Why would she do such a thing?

Qin Chu, pretending to be Jie Luo, tapped his forehead, seemingly having a headache. Athena felt that Jie Luo’s aura on this body seemed to have weakened slightly. She cleverly understood that this was probably because Jie Luo’s soul could no longer hold on.

After all, his soul had appeared for too long this time.

But Lord Jie Luo was still enduring, seemingly wanting to tell her more, to prevent her from falling into danger.

Athena was very touched.

“Sigh… Although I can’t control Qin Chu’s body all the time, I can still see everything he sees.”

Qin Chu, impersonating Jie Luo, let out a breath, his black eyes sweeping over the window. Then, he explained the matter of rescuing Benson, of course, concealing Violet’s true identity.

He spoke in a sinister tone:

“When Qin Chu and Ekaterina caught up from behind and arrived at the foot of Mount Cavanyas, they saw over a thousand Holy Knights of the Holy See with their heads severed.”

“In the darkness, countless heads were piled together, forming a bloody altar. Benson’s body was placed at the top of the altar.”

“The ground was a pool of blood.”

“Bonfires burned around, illuminating the hideous and terrifying heads.”

“The pungent smell of blood was nauseating. Karsus knelt beside the altar, seemingly chanting eerie prayers in the howling night wind…”

Qin Chu was very good at setting the mood. Athena couldn’t help but picture a bloody, terrifying, eerie, and strange scene in her mind, following his words. She shivered, and goosebumps appeared on her skin.

An altar of heads, a pool of blood, howling night wind, burning bonfires, a strange knight…

Evil God, this was definitely the Evil God.

No normal prayer would result in such a scene.

“Ekaterina and I saw this with our own eyes. Loseweisse begged Qin Chu to keep this matter a secret, on the condition that she would go on a date with him. You know that man Qin Chu, he can’t resist Loseweisse’s invitation for a date.”

Ninety percent of his words were true, but this was enough to guide Athena.

“But this matter will be exposed sooner or later. Augustus will soon know about it.”

As for promising Loseweisse to keep this matter a secret… It didn’t matter at all. It was Jie Luo who told Athena, what did it have to do with him, Qin Chu?

As for how Augustus would know? Obviously, someone would tell him.

Athena finally understood why Ekaterina said that she was close to Loseweisse and wasn’t trustworthy!

After seeing such a scene, even if she agreed to help conceal it for the sake of being a fellow Hero Squad member, it was normal to have doubts.

“They… Why would they do this?” Athena couldn’t understand. Karsus was one thing, but Loseweisse was the Saintess of the Holy See! Why would she dabble in the power of the Evil God?

“I don’t know,” Qin Chu shook his head silently.

Then, his body began to tremble involuntarily, and his face turned pale.

Athena knew that Qin Chu’s consciousness was returning. Her eyes were filled with reluctance.

“Little Athena, leave quickly. Otherwise, that bastard Qin Chu will definitely not let you go. Go quickly…” Qin Chu, impersonating Jie Luo, said in a low and suppressed voice, his fingers trembling violently.

“Lord Jie Luo, is there… anything else you want me to do?” Athena asked quickly, knowing that time was running out.

“Soul fragments, my soul fragments…” Jie Luo’s voice was hoarse, as if he was using his last bit of strength to let out a low roar.

Soul fragments, she remembered.

Athena, with tears in her eyes, finally got out of bed. She kissed Qin Chu on the lips, quickly put on her mage robe, and then looked at the suffering Lord Jie Luo at the door with reluctance, leaving with tears in her eyes.

After Athena left, Qin Chu’s finger twitched slightly, setting up an illusion in the room. The Eye of True Sight couldn’t see through illusions.

The real Qin Chu immediately returned to normal, stretching his body vigorously. He had been really busy today.

Even though Qin Chu had good stamina, he still felt a little tired, his back aching.

He thought to himself, maybe he should go to the herbal market tomorrow and see if he could buy some Moonflowers… Of course, he was only buying them for tea, definitely not for any other reason.

…

After leaving Qin Chu’s room, Athena suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to remove the Eye of True Sight from his bedroom.

If it was just Qin Chu, she could monitor him without any scruples. But there was also Lord Jie Luo’s remnant soul in Qin Chu’s body, so it wasn’t appropriate to monitor him like this.

But it was too late to go back and remove it.

Through the Eye of True Sight, Athena saw that Qin Chu had stopped moving. A few seconds later, he suddenly raised his head with a jolt, a puzzled expression on his face.

Athena seemed to hear Qin Chu’s voice: Huh? Where did Athena go?

Seeing Qin Chu start searching the room and even about to push open the door and rush out, Athena quickly sped up her pace, limping towards the exit of the residence.

It hurts!

Athena’s lips trembled slightly.

It was her precious first time, and she had wanted to cherish it with her beloved Lord Jie Luo. Who would have thought it would end up so awkward?

It was all that damned Qin Chu’s fault.

As soon as Athena left the residence, she saw a tall figure standing under a streetlight in the distance, arms crossed, leaning against the lamppost. It was Ekaterina. She seemed to be waiting for her.

Athena frowned and dragged her tired body towards Ekaterina.

Hearing the footsteps, Ekaterina looked up and glanced at Athena. Just by looking at her walking posture, Ekaterina knew what had happened.

This damned vixen, she actually seduced the master.

There was a hint of unconcealed hostility in her eyes.

But in Athena’s eyes, that hostility was just Ekaterina’s dissatisfaction with her breaking her monopoly on Lord Jie Luo.

“It seems you’ve also become a real woman,” Ekaterina said sarcastically.

“Are you unhappy?” Athena raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze head-on.

“How could I be? Although I don’t want Jie Luo to have many women around him, at least our goal is the same now, which is to resurrect Jie Luo as soon as possible.”

“For this goal, I can even cooperate with you,” Ekaterina snorted.

Athena lowered her eyelids, “All our sacrifices are for Jie Luo.”

After a pause, Athena spoke again, “Then, should we inform the others about the original Hero Squad’s plan and tell them to abandon it? For now, we should just focus on finding Jie Luo’s soul fragments…”

“No.” Before she could finish her sentence, Ekaterina interrupted her, “Jie Luo didn’t suspect that there were people in the Hero Squad who were plotting against him, but I’m not so sure.”

“I’m definitely not a problem. After all, if I was the one who killed Jie Luo, I would have had plenty of opportunities to do it these past few days.”

Athena nodded, agreeing that Ekaterina wasn’t the traitor.

“You’re not a problem either. After all, you didn’t make a move even when you had such a good opportunity just now.”

“But I don’t trust the others. Lord Jie Luo didn’t tell you, right? Before, when Karsus and Loseweisse were preparing the altar of heads, we discovered them, and Karsus immediately attacked Qin Chu… But who can guarantee that the attack was only aimed at Qin Chu, and not at the remnant soul of Jie Luo in his body?” Ekaterina said in a low voice.

Athena’s pupils constricted slightly. Karsus attacked Qin Chu?

Lord Jie Luo didn’t tell her about this… Ah, it must be because Lord Jie Luo didn’t want to suspect his former teammates. Even after being framed and killed, his soul was still so gentle.

“If we stop the plan now, we will definitely be questioned about what happened. Are you going to tell them that Lord Jie Luo’s remnant soul has already awakened?”

“If the murderer from before finds out about this, what do you think he will do?”

Athena’s eyes returned to normal. She turned to look at Ekaterina, seemingly surprised that this woman, who usually didn’t like to use her brain, could be so intelligent at times.

She was also at fault. Because of the sudden encounter with Lord Jie Luo, her mind was a little muddled.

She shook her head, telling herself that this wouldn’t do. She couldn’t be worse than Ekaterina.

“I understand… So, for now, it’s just the two of us cooperating?” Athena suddenly chuckled.

“That’s right. Of course, when facing the other members of the Hero Squad, you have to be careful not to reveal any flaws,” Ekaterina said seriously.

“You too.”

“Hehe, that damned Qin Chu, he will pay for his actions sooner or later. He doesn’t even know that Lord Jie Luo’s remnant soul has entered his body. The moment Lord Jie Luo fully awakens will be Qin Chu’s death!”

Ekaterina said in a cold voice, her eyes fierce.

Sob, sob, sob, it was all because the master forced her to say these things. She really didn’t want to say them. This was blasphemy against the master. She hoped the master wouldn’t blame her for it.

Ekaterina prayed.

Athena looked at Ekaterina clenching her fists, her body trembling slightly, and sighed softly. It seemed that Ekaterina’s hatred for Qin Chu was really deep.

“You must not lose control and rush to kill Qin Chu. If Qin Chu dies, Lord Jie Luo will die too,” Athena warned.

“I understand…” Ekaterina took a deep breath, suppressing her trembling body. A smile slowly appeared on her face, “I will definitely not kill him.”

“I’ve always been alone, and now I finally have a companion. So, can I consider you my good sister?”

Athena’s smile was equally charming:

“Of course, Sister Ekaterina.”

“Let’s work together for Lord Jie Luo’s full resurrection!”