Chapter 153: Goodbye, My Friend of Old

"I can't believe it, he's actually still that Cao the thief… oh, Prime Minister Cao!"

"He had met Phyllis's mother, Lady Estrid, before — she was indeed a beauty whose charm had not yet faded."

"But still, isn't something off about this?"

Herbert watched Phyllis, who seemed to want to speak yet held back, for quite a while.

"'I know what you want to ask.'"

Phyllis said flatly, her face expressionless:

"'He was the one who met my mother first. Back when the Great Mage Fein was still a wizard's apprentice, he was already courting my mother. By order of precedence… my father is the one who came later.'"

"'…Oh! Then, then he's actually quite faithful, uh, no, quite devoted? Uh, that doesn't sound right either.'"

Watching Phyllis's expression grow colder and colder, Herbert helplessly raised a hand and asked, "Does Your Majesty know about this?"

Does Reinhardt know he has such a powerful rival in love?

"'She probably does… right?'"

Phyllis was not entirely certain about this herself; she did not really want to get involved in her parents' private affairs.

The two fell silent once more.

After a moment, Phyllis spoke first: "Is your revenge enough?"

"In less than a month, you've weakened the royal house's power, caused the deaths of numerous nobles, and dragged the Church of the Gods into the kingdom's affairs — nearly plunging the kingdom into turmoil."

"Is this revenge enough?"

Herbert thought for a moment, winked at her, and said with a smile, "Mm… maybe it's still missing one last thing?"

"Me?"

Phyllis seemed to understand something, frowned, and said, "I have already killed my own brother with my own hands."

And helped you spread false messages to the outside world in his name — is that still not enough?

"What a coincidence, so have I."

Herbert recalled the sensation of the blade slicing across Coldy's neck, shook his head, and said, "I really didn't want to do it. If only he hadn't done what he did back then."

Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs.'

After a silence, Phyllis shook her head and said, "I still don't see anything wrong with what I did back then. It was the best solution I could come up with while in the most rational state of mind."

And Herbert, at this moment, also put away his smile, gave a soft sigh, and said slowly:

"Phyllis, do you know?"

"I understand your difficulties. I never expected you to throw caution to the wind and turn against them, and I never wanted you to fall into danger because of it."

"But at that time, rather than you helping me with the air of a strong woman bestowing charity, telling me nothing — I actually would have preferred that you trust me, and then tell me the truth."

What he had longed for was nothing more than the respect between friends.

"But you didn't."

The explanations Phyllis had given Valentina made her seem innocent, washing herself clean as Bai Bai, but in truth… all of it was nothing more than her own wishful thinking.

The real fact was that, had he not awakened the memories of his past life, Herbert would already have been beguiled by the Blasphemous God into taking reckless risks and violating taboos — he would never have lived to see today.

Her so-called "protection" of Herbert had, in fact, served no real purpose.

For Herbert at that time, Phyllis could indeed not be called a bad person, but she absolutely could not be called a good one either.

"I…"

He raised a hand to stop Phyllis's words, and said softly:

"Phyllis, people have mouths, and when they have something to say, they can say it."

"You could have written me a letter, asked someone to tell me, used any method to inform me — instead of covering your arrogance with a reason like 'I did it all for your own good.'"

"Tolerating them using your name to frame me, and not stepping forward to explain — that in itself is a form of tacit consent."

"Phyllis, this is a form of harm done to me — you are an accomplice."

Valentina could accept Phyllis's explanation because she was not a party to it, and felt that the reasoning actually sounded quite reasonable.

But Herbert was different.

He was the one involved, and knew best just how suffocating that brand of "help," which could only be called arrogance, truly was.

Phyllis was silent, then squinted and asked, "…Then what do you want? In your eyes, what exactly should I do to atone for my sins?"

Herbert smiled, a smile laden with meaning.

"Do you really want to know?"

Phyllis nodded.

"I want to know exactly what you want me to do… cough!?"

Hsssh.

Without any warning, a cold blade sank into Phyllis's chest.

It happened so suddenly that she didn't even have time to react — no time at all to elementalize her body.

"You!?"

She raised her head, looking in bewilderment at Herbert, who held the sword's hilt.

"What I want to do… is exactly this."

The blade was slowly pushed forward again, piercing flesh and blood completely through; the red-stained edge emerged straight out from her back.

Hsssh!

"Cough!"

Why?

And to the confusion in her eyes, Herbert merely smiled, shook his head, and said softly:

"Don't be nervous, I'm helping you."

"I don't know what exactly happened to you, nor what that Snow Witch's bloodline has brought you."

"But I do know one thing—your current state is very wrong. Your heart is far too cold…"

After returning to Wang Cheng and seeing this former friend again, Herbert had been able to feel a strong sense of wrongness.

He felt as though he were facing a delicate puppet, with every display of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness being nothing more than acting performed after careful thought.

They were clearly standing face to face, yet a sad, thick barrier hung between them.

Her state was absolutely wrong—she had been influenced far too deeply by the Snow Witch's bloodline.

This might grant her more power, but she would surely lose herself in the end, truly becoming a block of ice devoid of any emotion.

And just as Felicia had once hoped for Herbert's safety, he too hoped she could return to normal—he could not stand by and watch her walk toward destruction.

Herbert looked into the Princess's eyes, thought about what he was about to do, and said softly with a hint of regret:

"I'm going to… use my own way to help you find some of your humanity back."

In the capacity of a former friend.

I will… tear apart this rationality of yours.

To achieve this goal, Herbert made many efforts.

During their conversations over this period, he had been trying hard to stir her emotions, attempting to bring her back to normal.

But all those efforts failed.

Though there were slight ripples on the surface, everything ultimately settled back to calm.

Her illness was too severe.

And for a grave illness, one can only resort to strong medicine.

So Herbert made his move.

Making her a tool for revenge against the others, having her kill the First Prince with her own hands, letting her experience long-forgotten fear and pain… this was also part of the plan.

It worked, but still not enough.

And the final, most important part—is happening right now.

He would take action himself.

"Don't worry, you won't die."

"Although an injury of this severity is grave, it won't endanger your life, and after this, you'll gain considerable benefit as well."

He gently supported Felicia's body, letting her lean against the small pavilion in the garden and sit down steadily.

"This sword once carried the will of a Saint. Now this last faint remnant is entrusted to you."

"For you, this will be a metamorphic experience… once your wounds have fully healed."

The Archbishop's lingering will was enough to utterly destroy that coldness, and then he could seize the chance to implant one lasting emotion.

And among all emotions, none endures longer than hatred.

"Haha, trust me—just as you said before, this gain will far exceed the harm you're suffering now."

"So, you'll surely forgive me, won't you? You won't keep being angry, will you?"

Herbert chuckled softly and winked at her.

"When the time comes, I hope you'll understand one principle—scars and rewards, these two are actually not equivalent."

After finishing his teasing, Herbert shook his head with deep feeling.

"I sincerely hope you can find back that part of your humanity you've lost… even if all you find back is hatred."

"If this can keep you holding onto your humanity, then that is enough."

"Then go ahead and resent me."

How should I put it?

Just consider it for your own good… haha!

Herbert shook his head as he thought these things, drew out the blade, and blood gushed from her chest. He poured the prepared high-concentration holy water onto the wound.

Hiss, hiss, hiss.

The holy water let out a piercing sound upon touching the blood, then froze over with astonishing speed.

Rising ice and snow climbed swiftly from beneath Felicia's feet, and soon wrapped her entire body little by little.

The Snow Witch's bloodline was fully activated, triggering the race's own self-preservation mechanism, encasing her whole body in ice.

"Herbert, you…" Felicia tried to say something, but in the end slowly closed her eyes and became a beautiful ice sculpture.

Herbert quietly watched the ice-and-snow Princess gradually slip into unconsciousness, lowered his gaze, and said softly:

"Goodbye, Felicia."

My arrogant friend who never understood the human heart—goodbye.

I hope you can find back that part of your humanity.

As for the rest, let it be.

If you want to hate me, then hate me.

After this…

Just as we said when we met again.

I will forget you.

And you will never be able to forget me.

Even if all you remember is anger.

……

【"Herbert."】

"Mm?"

【"Will you hate me for stabbing her the second time?"】

Nie Nasha's voice was soft, tinged with unease.

He had intervened forcibly just now.

The first stab was indeed Herbert's, but the second one pierced Philya directly—it was Nie Nasha who moved his hand to do it.

Even the Evil God, who was said to not understand human hearts, could sense how suffocating her arrogance was in imposing herself upon others.

Herbert looked down at the blood on his hands and shook his head.

"No…"

"To be honest, that second stab was pretty satisfying."

I still really like stabbing people…

I've stabbed, I've helped.

Now my mind is clear.

From now on, whether debt or grudge, we're even.

Herbert brought his bloody palm to his lips and lightly licked it, then smiled.

"See, your blood isn't that cold after all."

Feeling the energy within Philya's Snow Witch blood, he smiled gently.

"Though the whole process was wrong, at least I've got the material."

【Snow Witch's Blood】acquired!

The day after the failed assassination of the Princess.

Herbert left Sister Caplan and the Paladins behind and departed alone from Frost Crystal Wang Cheng on the dragon Feiji.

But Herbert and Valentina did not return directly to the Mist Monastery; instead, they headed toward the heart of the Mist Mountains.

Although he had not yet officially received the King's proof granting him the Mist Mountains, Herbert could no longer wait to inspect them himself.

After all, if nothing goes wrong…

This is the crucial key to whether Herbert can ever build his own power.

To establish a divine church, you need three things: location, personnel, and funding—none can be missing.

And now, the location is secured!

As for personnel… do you even need to ask?

Monster girls! Monster girls! Still damn monster girls!

"What's the point of ruling with tyranny in Frost Crystal Kingdom?"

"I will build my own kingdom—"

Standing on Feiji's back, Herbert swung his fists, gesturing left and right, envisioning his future vision.

"I will name this grand vision the 'Monster Girl Kingdom' Project!"

"Hmm, perhaps the 'Monster Girl Lost Paradise' Project?"

"Or, since it's in the Mist Mountains, call it the 'Monster Girl Mountains'? Wait… no, that sounds too dangerous."

Early update, brief explanation. (Kowtowing)

First, conclusion: (A former-lover setup only invites Da Xi Wang; killing her outright is inconvenient, better to just be outright evil and eliminate her…)

Philya was designed from the start as a former-lover archetype: proud and cold, not truly evil, not redeemable, merely misunderstood with no clear explanation.

Her essence is a defeated loser, a tool to trigger Herbert's emotional explosion, a plot device for the Witch's arc.

But I overlooked one thing: reader perspective differs from author perspective.

I overdid it.

Readers, unaware of her traits, only speculated how to treat her—whether to redeem her or take her into the harem—and this caused problems.

The problem was noticed, but major revisions are impractical.

Final decision: since the issue is recognized, stop indulging and making it worse.

Explain clearly now, then set her aside and fully marginalize her—treat her as a misstep, and avoid touching her again.

I did my best: cut many unnecessary plotlines, sped up the Wang Cheng pacing, and will now focus properly on the monster girls…

After over three years of writing, this is my first time encountering such an issue; I'm truly distressed, deeply aware of my shortcomings…

I've been honest. Please spare me.

Second, regarding update volume: if this chapter had been posted yesterday, readers might have had fewer doubts.

Just learn from this mistake—I won't repeat it.

Also, as an apology, I'll increase my updates for the final week of this month to 12,000 words—both as an apology and a final plea for monthly votes.



If these lines were meant to contain Chinese text that was lost during extraction, please re-paste the source with the actual characters, and I will translate them immediately.

(End of Chapter)