Chapter 4: The Oath

Ailia did not stop her movements because of Zhe Zilin’s threat.

After pouring the black liquid into the bowl, she stirred it with a spoon and walked over slowly.

“You won’t do it, Ed. Everyone knows you care about your face the most. Even the slightest speck of dirt on any given day would drive you mad.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a dull thud echoed through the room.

The sound was heavy, yet to Ailia’s ears it was piercing.

Zhe Zilin had slightly shifted away from the corner of the table and deliberately smashed his head against the flat edge instead.

Because he lacked strength, he could not control the force.

When he lifted his head, a deep gash had appeared on his forehead.

Two streams of blood flowed down along the corners of his eyes, adding a few degrees of ferocity and resolve to his fierce gaze.

“I said, don’t come any closer.”

Ailia’s eyes widened.

She stood frozen in place.

For a moment, her brain could not process what had just happened.

How could this be… Ed, in order to avoid drinking the medicine, you were actually willing to injure your own face!?

Perhaps because she instinctively felt that this could not be real, her body swayed forward in a daze.

Unconsciously, she took one step closer.

Thud!

Zhe Zilin smashed his head against the table again with full force.

A tearing sound rang out.

The gash on his forehead grew several centimeters longer.

Through the wound, the pale white of bone could faintly be seen.

Blood poured down in streams.

His face, which had originally been as fair as jade, now looked terrifying and savage.

He had acted so decisively because he knew that threatening suicide was his last chance.

He had to shock Ailia into submission.

It hurt. The pain drilled straight into his bones.

Yet if he hesitated even a moment, it would mean death.

He did not dare to waver.

“Don’t make me say it a second time.”

Ailia’s nerves instantly tightened.

She stood rooted to the spot, her expression complicated.

She did not dare to take another step forward.

“Ed, drinking the medicine isn’t a bad thing. It only makes you sleep a little longer. When you wake up, everything will be the same as before.”

Zhe Zilin was not a child.

He was not so easily coaxed.

What did she mean by “the same as before”?

After drinking the medicine, he would be no different from a walking corpse.

His memories would be like clay, and Ailia could mold them into whatever shape she desired.

In the end, this was simply a yandere whose possessiveness had reached a terrifying level.

She wanted to reshape the person she loved into the exact image she wanted.

The deeper the love, the crazier the actions.

Zhe Zilin’s consciousness was growing hazy.

He no longer wanted to argue with Ailia.

His tone was irrefutable.

“Throw away the potion in your hand. Otherwise I…”

Before he could finish speaking, Ailia immediately threw the bowl in her hands away.

The black potion splashed across the floor.

Compared to letting Ed lose his memory, she was more afraid of him dying.

Whether he was unconscious or amnesiac, there would still come a day when he woke up.

Ailia could still hold onto hope and endure the long, tedious days.

But if he died, then there would be nothing left.

“Ed, you need treatment. Otherwise your life will be in danger!”

Ailia was burning with anxiety.

Her feet still did not dare to move even half a step closer.

She was terrified that Zhe Zilin would smash his forehead open again.

Even one more impact might truly put his life at risk.

Zhe Zilin’s already weak body was steadily losing strength along with the blood.

He could no longer even support his upper body with his hands.

He could only slump weakly on the bed, his gaze locked onto Ailia’s every movement.

“Do you see it now? This is my resolve. Drinking the medicine and making me go die are no different.”

Although Ailia was an extreme yandere, she had never once thought of harming Zhe Zilin.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Yet she seemed unable to feel any pain at all.

“Ed, I only wanted your world to contain only me…”

Zhe Zilin half-reclined on the bed.

The bleeding from his forehead had slowed considerably.

In its place came the raw, burning pain of torn flesh.

He gritted his teeth and said, “As long as you stop obsessing over feeding me the medicine, I won’t leave the castle. I promise to live with you.”

He had truly run out of options.

His blood was about to run dry, yet Ailia still refused to give up on using the potion to erase his memory.

He could only take another step back and satisfy the yandere’s possessiveness.

Ailia remained silent.

Her gaze drifted uncertainly.

The words of the playboy Ed had long since lost all credibility.

She could not feel any sense of security from them.

“Really? I can’t be sure whether you’re deceiving me, Ed.”

Zhe Zilin moved his body with difficulty.

He raised one hand and said, “I swear upon the Saint Mother. As long as the witch Ailia no longer feeds me any medicine, I will not actively leave her.”

In the game King, an oath sworn to the Saint Mother carried the harshest punishment if broken.

Therefore, in Ailia’s eyes, Zhe Zilin’s current guarantee was absolutely trustworthy.

The gloomy expression she had worn for so long finally bloomed like a rainbow after rain into a sweet smile.

“Ed, I’m so happy!”

Ailia paced back and forth.

An indescribable emotion surged through her chest.

Her breathing also quickened slightly.

Yet Zhe Zilin could not feel happy at all right now.

He lay on the bed, completely drained of strength.

He could only weakly call out, “Can you… stop the bleeding first…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ailia’s voice called out beside his ear.

Then he completely lost consciousness.

……

[You have died.]

[Ailia did not keep her promise. She gave you the strongest potion and made you forget everything.]

[All regression attempts have been used. You will die completely.]

……

No. Don’t!

Zhe Zilin jolted awake.

Sweat soaked his neck and flowed down his chest.

His head felt unbearably heavy and muddled.

The good news was that his body had regained its strength.

He touched the bandages wrapped tightly around his head and sat on the bed, trying to calm his emotions.

“So it was just a dream.”

Zhe Zilin looked around the room.

Ailia was nowhere to be seen.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Ever since he had transmigrated, he had remained inside this room and had never once seen the outside scenery.

Contrary to his imagination of a gloomy and dark place, the view outside was lush and green.

The castle was not large.

He guessed the room was only on the second or third floor.

Beyond the iron gate stretched grassland that went on for more than ten miles.

From time to time, he could see rabbits hopping about.

Looking at the boundless forest beyond the grassland, Zhe Zilin muttered to himself, “Escaping from here won’t be easy.”

He knew that in the game King, dozens of races coexisted.

Inside the forest lived scattered dangerous races such as half-orcs, cannibals, and goblins.

Trying to cross such a vast forest alone was almost impossible.

Perhaps this castle had long been watched by certain eyes hidden within the forest.

It was only because of Ailia, the World-Ender Witch, that it remained peaceful.

Leaving now would be no different from walking straight into death.

Zhe Zilin took a deep breath.

Although Ailia had temporarily given up on feeding him the medicine, a yandere was not so easily satisfied.

If she became even slightly displeased in the future, she would probably pick up the magic potion again.

All things considered, staying inside the castle was actually safer for now.

He only needed to deal with Ailia carefully.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Zhe Zilin steeled himself and declared, “If it really comes down to it, I’ll conquer Ailia. I’ll push her down and thoroughly satisfy all her needs until she becomes my loyal dog!”

The moment he finished speaking, Ailia happened to push open the door and heard every single word clearly.

“Ed, is that true? Are you really going to do that?”

Ailia placed the food in her hands onto the table.

She strode eagerly toward Zhe Zilin with large steps.

Layers of blush rose on her face.

She looked up slightly, her eyes shining brightly.

Zhe Zilin’s body trembled.

He had been the one planning to push Ailia down, yet somehow it felt like she was even more impatient than him.

“You seem really excited?”

“Ah?” 

Ailia shyly lowered her head.

She tried to look at her own toes, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not see them.

She had no choice but to turn her head to the side.

Her eyes kept glancing toward Zhe Zilin’s chest from time to time.

“I’m not.”

Zhe Zilin shook his head and sighed lightly.

Ailia’s expression when she wanted to drain a person dry could not be hidden.