To save on mana, Vyea had already reduced her magic consumption to the bare minimum.
What a pity…
“The higher you fly, the smaller you look to those who can’t fly…”
Vyea moved her foot away from Anna’s chest, not bothering to look at the angry and humiliated expression on her face.
Sorry, I didn’t know you’d suddenly counterattack.
If I had known, I would have kicked you in the butt.
“If what I did hurt your pride, then I apologize,” Vyea said. “Truly.”
“……”
Anna, who accepted defeat as part of the gamble, instantly lost her composure at those words.
That indifferent attitude—like an adult indulging a child’s games, that aloof and untouchable bearing, and her own humiliating pose lying defeated in the mud—all of it made Anna burn with shame.
When did she become so thin-skinned?
But that casual demeanor always made Anna think of those years in the Capital, being brushed off by the powers that be—
“Brave? That’s not your concern. All you need to do is slay monsters.”
The same indifference, the same carelessness.
Just a few words, and her actions as the dignified Second Seat Hero were determined—and she couldn’t even refuse.
But.
Is slaying monsters really all that’s needed?
If the monsters are gone, will humans never raise swords against each other again?
If the monsters are gone, will despair never be born between people?
If the monsters are gone, will the world become a better place?
Is slaying monsters alone enough to be a good Brave? Enough to be welcomed by all?
Is it?
Isn’t it?
—What a joke!
Shame and pain made Anna’s face flush red.
Her bright blue eyes glared fixedly at Vyea, her neat black dress soiled again, and her carefully arranged beautiful golden hair in disarray.
Why?
She’d left home, shouldering infamy just to gain Power, only to be so easily defeated? How could she change anything like this?
“Why…”
Anna lay in the rain-soaked street, dirty spots of mud staining her fair face, her lovely golden hair wet and tangled.
But her eyes, blue as the sky, still stared unwaveringly at Vyea, as if searching for some answer.
“I lost. Why didn’t you kill me?”
When she defected and started down this road of rebellion, Anna was already prepared to die, prepared to sacrifice herself for her beliefs.
But now, truly facing death, she was still full of reluctance.
How pathetic.
After receiving Power from the Evil God, her first Task ended in crushing defeat—not only did she gain nothing useful, she lost everything.
It seemed that in her brief life, only failure would stay by her side.
“Kill me, maybe a new Brave’s child…”
“Is that all it takes for you to give up?”
Vyea paused, then suddenly crouched down, using her own clean white sleeve to gently wipe the mud from Anna’s face.
No one likes a dirty big dog.
“I thought you’d bring me more entertainment—more resistance, more information. After all, I’m not the Brave you imagine. I’m just a wandering ghost in this world.”
“Not a Brave?”
Anna’s face froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, closed her eyes, and said softly, “You don’t need to lie to me. Though I’ve been a defector for years, I could never mistake a Brave’s Power.”
“The only mistake I made was thinking you were a new Brave,” Anna said with her eyes still closed. “Maybe to you, I’m the new Brave. Or perhaps, like me, you’re not exactly a pure Brave…”
Even after defecting, she still thought of herself as a Brave?
How odd.
Being in one camp but loyal to another, that’s not something you see every day!
“……”
Vyea stood up again, looking down at the disheveled Anna, reaching into her pocket as if she’d found something, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
“?”
Anna, confused, peeked with one eye at Vyea’s actions. What… are you doing?
A light blue Potion suddenly appeared in Vyea’s hand, and a faint smile came over her usually cold face:
“Good doggy, be good, drink this Potion. Once you’ve finished, I’ll surrender and help you complete your Evil God master’s Task, okay?”
Calling her a good doggy right from the start!
Blatant humiliation!
And using the same coaxing tone you’d use on a child—did she think Anna would fall for it and agree?!
Anna gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked. If looks could kill, she would have murdered this haughty little white-haired brat a thousand times already!
“Enough! Don’t mock me with this sort of thing! Have Bravess become this despicable nowadays?!”
Anna roared like a lion, “And you think just because you’ve won you can trample on my dignity? Go on—kill me!”
Her resistance was clear, utterly unyielding.
Vyea frowned, pinched Anna’s nose with one hand, and poured the Potion into her mouth with the other.
“Mmph… you! Gulp… gulp… wha—!”
“Swallow.”
“Mmm… you bastard, I’ll… kill you… mmph!”
“Don’t spit it out!”
Vyea grabbed Anna’s jaw, forcing her to tilt her head up so the liquid would flow down her throat.
“Mmm… cough, cough!”
Anna retched painfully, her lovely golden hair sticking in messy strands to her pale cheeks, looking like a frail, sickly noble lady.
“Ugh, what did you make me drink… cough, cough!”
Could it be that rumored Obedience Water from the Black Market, the one that makes young girls obedient and docile toward strangers?
She dared not imagine—if Obedience Water was real, what would become of Anna, the Brave who had defected till now…?
Instinctively, Anna tried to use a Detoxification Spell to purify herself.
Slap!
Vyea’s hand moved faster than thought, slapping away Anna’s casting gesture.
Slap!
“Good doggy, you need to behave.”
“—Just kill me!”
Cheeks stinging from the gentle slap, Anna turned her face stubbornly, biting out, “You better hope you never fall into my hands. If you do, I’ll beat up a little old monster like you nine times over…”
Vyea’s face darkened. Her intention to question Anna about the Evil God’s details faded away.
She became expressionless, her tone icy cold:
“Then you might as well die!”
Arbitration Office, Infirmary.
Lights blazed, and the spotless, bright corridors were filled with the scent of disinfectant.
Lania lay on the hospital bed, brow tightly furrowed in pain, like a wilted, dried-out eggplant.
“How is junior doing?”
Hua Shiyu, seated on a nearby stool, looked at Lania for a while before turning her gaze to the white-clad medical staff beside her.
The medical staff wore a variety of expressions—some grave, some perplexed—as if everyone had different thoughts.
“The Brave’s energy is too active, like a volcano that’s just erupted. It’s both good and bad.”
All the medical staff spoke at once, but their summary was the same:
“Active Power puts extra strain on the Brave’s body, and under such strain, her lifespan may decrease… But at the same time, this energy could speed up her advancement.”
“She now has hope of breaking through the ninth tier before the age of twenty—but it’s just hope. It all depends on the state of the Brave’s own ‘heart’…”
“Humans seeking great Power must always pay a price.”
Hua Shiyu let out a quiet sigh. She looked small as she sat there, but unexpectedly radiated a stern and decisive aura—as if the timid girl in front of Vyea before had just been a mirage.
“Looking at all human history, there has never been someone who flourished forever, an unsetting sun, an unfallen glory.”
“Not even the greatest saints and sages, not even those who could defy the heavens, could change this.”
To Hua Shiyu, this world was never complicated—everything could be understood from the cycles of history and humanity.
What was left to the Brave was not just a defeat, but also a chance for rebirth through fire.
This was an opportunity.
With that, Hua Shiyu hopped down from the bench and headed for the infirmary’s exit, tossing a line to the medical staff as she went:
“Take care of the Brave. Otherwise, you can forget about being Doctors in the future.”
Antler City Sewer.
Vyea led Anna along by a chain, as if walking a golden retriever.
“I swear I’ll kill you!” Anna glared hatefully at the little white-haired brat. Even her parents had never humiliated her like this—how dare this damn white-haired child treat her so!
Unforgivable!
“Kill me?”
Vyea raised an eyebrow and said with a smirk, “Those who recognize the situation are wise, and it’s obvious you’re not. Haha, you should think more about your own position. If your Evil God can’t answer your prayers, I’ll just hand you over to the humans, to those you despise.”
Anna immediately changed her tune, shouting bitterly:
“Grr, just kill me already!”