Chapter 184: The Answer You Want to Hear (56 Extra 27)

"Are you threatening me?"

Herbert's smile faded.

Realizing he could not contest the other party on the matter of authority, Herbert's expression turned utterly cold.

What Lucille meant was simple—I truly cannot help you, but I can refrain from making things difficult for you—if you agree to my request.

And facing Herbert's coldness, Lucille's emotions remained steady and calm. She shook her head slightly and said softly, "I was merely stating a possibility, not…"

"Then this is a threat."

Herbert cut Lucille off, turned coldly away, and said indifferently, "My apologies, but I do not accept any threats."

Lucille:!!!

From the moment their conversation began, the two of them clearly understood each other's intentions.

Herbert wanted more benefit, while Lucille hoped to give less.

This was a negotiation.

Once Lucille realized she did not have enough cards in hand, she played a trump card sufficient to threaten Herbert.

Under normal circumstances, Herbert should have countered with an offer she could not refuse.

Afterwards, the two, unable to do anything about each other, would each compromise one step and ultimately reach a result.

However, what Lucille had not expected was… Herbert did not accept her challenge, but instead chose to flip the table outright.

Grandpa won't play with you anymore!

Herbert's unmistakable attitude made one thing clear—you have no choice.

Lucille miscalculated one thing.

Herbert himself was not the type of warden Lucille had imagined.

He was not the sort who would loyally carry out his duties, spare no effort, and think of every possible way to rehabilitate these imprisoned alien-race prisoners.

Herbert was not.

Regarding this threat, Herbert's inner thought was—go ahead and let me in or not, if you won't let me into the next level, then I just won't go!

Herbert did indeed want to obtain more skills from other monster girls, but that need was not so urgent.

Trying to use this to get a handle on him was truly a miscalculation.

Just as Herbert was about to stride out through the light gate without a backward glance, Lucille finally realized her misjudgment and called out to stop him:

"Please wait a moment."

Herbert stopped at once, hand on the door frame, frowning as he looked back: "Is there anything else you want to say?"

His attitude was extremely poor, putting on an irritated and impatient look.

Herbert was still acting.

If he truly wanted to leave, Lucille would have had no chance to hold him back at all!

After seeing that expression on his face, Lucille did not defend herself, but instead chose to lower her head directly.

"Herbert, I did not expect you to care so much about this matter."

The fallen angel bowed slightly toward the youth, her posture humble enough to warrant the word, and said softly, "Please forgive my offense."

"It has been too long since I last spoke with a god's chosen, and I have forgotten the most basic courtesy."

"Please forgive me."

Herbert looked at her low posture, raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "You are mistaken. This has nothing to do with whether I am a god's chosen."

"Are you saying that, if I were not a god's chosen, I should be threatened by you?"

He stepped out from the light gate, walked slowly to stand before the angel, and said flatly, "Lucille, your arrogance is exactly like that of the god you once served."

"You have never truly regarded beings beneath you as equals."

He delivered what could be called a cold rebuke, mocking the hypocrisy of the fallen angel and the god.

"In the Sun God's eyes, everything in the world is nothing more than insects with labels attached."

"The good ones are kept; the bad ones are purged and burned."

"And in your eyes, I am nothing more than a mortal—a foolish child who has obtained authority that does not belong to him, someone you can manipulate."

Child?

Heh.

It sounds affectionate, but she had never once given Herbert a proper look.

"…"

The fallen angel silently hung her head, not raising it.

"No need to deny it, and no need to."

Herbert stared at her quiet appearance, his smile growing more mocking, and he scoffed, "Since you're so capable, go find it yourself."

"The fact that you chose to have me help you search is simply because you lack the courage to face that result."

He said:

"You are afraid of the truth."

In that instant, the hymns that had been echoing ceaselessly through the sanctuary all vanished at once.

In the vast space, a pin drop could be heard.

Those chanting souls seemed to startle awake at that very moment.

They stared in disbelief at the figure who spoke so freely before the kneeling angel.

Did he not know what kind of monster he was facing?

These souls who had died at Lucille's hands—even in their current state, they had not forgotten the terror of the moment they perished by his hand.

He was the cruelest executioner in the world!

is the sharpest blade of the divine spirits!

As for this point, Herbert truly did not know.

He really did not understand Lucille all that well, nor did he know how glorious her past battle record had truly been.

But what of it?

Even if Herbert knew all of this, he would not change his own attitude.

Because the fallen angel before his eyes did not count as any kind of strong expert in his view.

Even… heh, she might not even measure up to Elisa.

"You are afraid."

Herbert looked indifferently at the silent angel and said lightly: "You truly don't know the answer? No, you can guess it."

"For an existence as clever as you, how could you fail to guess the outcome of all this?"

"There are simply three possibilities."

Herbert held up three fingers and smiled:

"He has forgotten you, He has spared you, He is still hunting you… these are the three outcomes."

"And which is it you want to hear? Or rather, which answer do you want me to give you? In truth, there is only one."

Yes, only one.

"Because whether He has truly forgotten you completely, or whether He deliberately left you alive, both outcomes would leave you uneasy."

"It would make you, the betrayer, feel that your betrayal held no meaning at all."

The two fingers he had bent down left only one, which he gently swayed, and in a mocking tone he laughed softly:

"So, the only answer you want is — He hates you."

"You want to hear that His Church has been searching for you all along!"

"You want to hear that they have been hunting you without end, hoping to purge you, the heretic who betrayed the faith."

"And the reason you are fine now is simply that you have been hiding here, so they have not succeeded… only this would set your heart at ease, letting you continue nursing your grievance with a clear conscience."

"Isn't that right?"

The youth mocked, wantonly tearing apart the fallen angel's disguise.

You want to keep on hating.

In the end, Herbert gave the angel, who had remained silent all along, a contemptuous yet accurate definition.

"You are nothing but a…"

"Coward."

(End of chapter)