Chapter 211: I Am Your Master (5K)

Fuck!

It's amnesia!!!

As the saying goes, Korean dramas have three staples—car accidents, amnesia, and incurable conditions.

Among the three people present, we've somehow got them all!

I'm the car accident, Sophieya is the amnesia, Fu Leimei is the leg that won't heal…

Looks like we three are truly destined to meet!

"... Hmm."

Though he mentally scoffed at this, Herbert did not fully believe her words.

Is she truly amnesiac?

Or is she faking it?

"..."

Herbert narrowed his eyes, studying Sophieya closely, uncertain whether she was deliberately pretending.

No signs of deception.

"Hmm..."

Or perhaps Herbert simply couldn't tell anything at all.

This was his first time encountering a spirit entity; his usual observation methods weren't effective.

No heartbeat, no breath, no emotional fluctuations... the only thing still somewhat useful was his sharp intuition.

Herbert felt she wasn't lying.

But "I feel" wasn't enough to serve as decisive evidence—it couldn't convince anyone else.

Feeling the subtle shifts in Fu Leimei's emotions behind him, Herbert knew she had already begun considering whether to strike.

"How can we possibly prove she's truly amnesiac..."

【"Herbert, don't worry."】

At this critical moment, Nie Nasha stopped watching the spectacle and spoke up: 【"She's not lying."】

After Nie Nasha spoke, Herbert exhaled in relief: "Can you be certain?"

【"Mm, she carries the scent of the Wine of Forgetting—likely soaked in it for a long time."】

【"The Wine of Forgetting can repair the injuries of Spirits. No matter how severe the damage, as long as the soul core remains intact, it can fully restore them."】

【"But the corresponding 'cost' is that one forgets everything from their past during this process."】

The Wine of Forgetting, also called "Spirit's Wine," naturally does far more than simply let Spirits forget their troubles.

Its true effect is repair—or rather, "reset."

Spirits in the Divine Realm, after growing weary of life and feeling their souls exhausted, drink the Wine of Forgetting to forget everything and return to the state they were in when they first entered the Divine Realm.

This process is called—"Rebirth."

"So, her current state is essentially like having undergone a... Rebirth?"

【"Correct."】

In simple terms, Sophieya's current state is like having pressed the "factory reset" button—she's now exactly as she was when first created.

No.

If the initial state was entering the Divine Realm, then this should be called "restore to factory input"...

Whatever, it's normal—factory input always leaves one battered and bruised.

"Herbert, should we act? I suspect she's pretending."

As Herbert pondered, Fu Leimei's cold voice sounded behind him.

"If she had nothing to hide, she wouldn't act like this."

To her, Sophieya's reaction was deliberate pretense—an attempt to deceive by feigning amnesia.

Bad woman!

Don't get close to Herbert!

The Mermaid Lady's hostility toward the Centaur Lady wasn't just present—it was clearly substantial.

"Uh..."

Is it because she's bigger than you?

Herbert thought mischievously, waved his hand behind him, and whispered: "I know you're eager, but hold on a moment—I can feel she's not pretending."

He turned back and smiled at Fu Leimei.

"Trust my intuition."

Fu Leimei pouted, but after seeing Herbert's confident smile, she nodded reluctantly.

"Oh."

Fine.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt—for your sake.

After calming Fu Leimei, Herbert turned again to Sophieya, smiled gently at her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sophieya, don't be nervous—we're not bad people."

Probably.

"I believe you've truly forgotten everything else—that's fine, but we can't help you like this."

"Can you try harder to remember for yourself?"

"Do you really only remember this one name?"

Herbert stared into Sophieya's eyes, trying to catch even the faintest flicker of emotion.

"Anything beyond that would work too—whatever it is, any small detail could be of help to us!"

"Try to think harder—is there anything else you can recall?"

Sofiya's emotions steadied further under Herbert's soothing, gradually drawn into his rhythm.

Obediently following his instruction, she began to think slowly, her brows knitting tightly together.

"I—I still remember…"

After silently recalling for quite a while, her eyes suddenly lit up and she jerked her head up.

"Right! I—I remember one thing!"

"I… I should have a master I must serve!"

"He is great, the source of all my life, everything I have was bestowed by Him!"

The moment she thought of that master, Sofiya's entire vitality underwent a tremendous change.

She no longer looked so blank and ignorant, but became full of heroic spirit, a fervent gleam in her eyes.

"He, He… mm!!?"

Then, as if sensing some presence, Sofiya stared at Herbert with wide eyes and said excitedly:

"You! You… could it be that you are my master!!?"

Herbert:?

Fu Leimei:???

"…"

Faced with Sofiya's fatal question, Herbert fell silent.

He felt the icy gaze stabbing into his back from behind, and inwardly lamented how unfortunate the timing was.

Sigh—if only Fu Leimei weren't here…

"What are you thinking about right now?"

The Young Lady of the merfolk's flat, emotionless voice rang out, making Herbert feel even more regretful.

"Haha, of course nothing!"

"Then what are you hesitating about?"

Guess what I'm hesitating about?

Herbert didn't answer aloud, but waved his hand behind him, signaling her to calm down.

"Shh!"

Don't rush.

Just watch me work.

Herbert looked at Sofiya and, instead of refusing outright, asked back: "Why would you think I'm your master?"

Why?

Sofiya's excited expression was stunned by the question; she tilted her head and said uncertainly:

"I… I don't know either."

Yeah, why?

Why do I feel this way?

Sofiya stared intently at Herbert's features.

That face—no impression.

Her nose twitched slightly as she lightly sniffed the scent on him.

The scent on him—also no impression.

Face, scent, bearing… not a single thing could awaken her lost memories.

Yet this youth before her somehow carried an aura that made her unable to resist wanting to prostrate herself in worship.

"There's a very familiar aura on you that makes me want to fall prostrate before you."

Even as she said this, Sofiya's body actually carried it out.

She staggered to her feet, then dropped her forelegs and knelt, bowing her head reverently before Herbert.

The posture was as though she were respectfully facing the deity she served.

Faced with the centaur Young Lady's humble bearing, Herbert's thoughts stirred.

"Nie Nasha, is it because of you?"

【"Maybe? Of course, it could also be because of your bearing, which makes her unable to resist wanting to follow you."】Miss Jester God replied blandly.

"Mm, that's really hard to say."

【"Hmph!"】

Nie Nasha snorted speechlessly, too lazy to bother with this fellow.

You fellow, you've been getting awfully full of yourself lately.

Don't you have any self-awareness at all?

If it's not me, could it possibly be because of you?

Herbert laughed when he heard that and didn't argue with Her.

Maybe I really do have an aura of kingly dominance on me, haha!

He looked at the centaur Young Lady, who even kneeling before him was barely shorter than he was.

Legendary strength, a Heroic Spirit's body, a centaur of foreign kind…

No matter how you looked at it, Sofiya was a monster girl extremely well-suited to be taken into his service.

And she really is well-suited for riding!

Valentina's true form is too large; even when shrunk, it's not very convenient to ride.

Fu Leimei is a sea siren, so even if she really went crazy and wanted to be ridden, it could only be in the sea.

Having encountered so many monster girls, only the centaur before his eyes is the most suitable to use as a mount.

He just didn't know where to put his hands when riding… but this really wasn't much of a problem.

Once he actually got on and rode, he'd naturally know then.

And now her memory had been wiped clean, completely equivalent to a blank sheet of paper, free for him to write and draw upon as he pleased.

And now, a chance that could be called perfect lay right before his eyes.

If he went along with her words at this moment and admitted he was her master, then Sophia would become an extremely loyal servant, mount, and combat force.

The monastery hadn't been fully cleared yet, and bringing out the monster girl prisoners required others' knowledge and consent, which was very inconvenient.

And Sophia herself was a being of the Misty Mountains, perfectly suited to have her guard his camp.

The opportunity was truly hard to come by!

But…

Herbert thought for a moment, shook his head, and said softly: "Sophia, although it's a pity, I am not your master."

!!!

Sophia, who had been brimming with confidence, blankly raised her head and looked at the youth before her in confusion.

"What did you say?"

Herbert looked at Sophia and said firmly: "I said, I am not your master."

And after a brief moment of bewilderment, Sophia began to grow puzzled.

"Why… why?"

Why would you reject me?

Sophia is a Heroic Spirit.

The purpose of her existence, her very nature, is to be able to serve her master.

And now, she could not find her master.

Especially when she thought she had found a master, but the other party rejected her — she only felt her whole heart become empty and desolate.

"Herbert, wait! You… you really want to reject her?" Fu Leimei also spoke up to advise at this moment.

"Are you concerned about my feelings? I actually don't dislike her."

She had originally held a certain hostility toward Sophia, feeling she might pose a certain threat.

But upon realizing Sophia could become Herbert's bodyguard, Fu Leimei immediately changed her attitude toward her.

She was well aware that although she was currently out with him, she still couldn't stay by Herbert's side every single moment.

But if there were someone else who could do so, then although she might feel a little unwilling in her heart, she wouldn't deliberately stand in the way.

That person could be that Valentina, could be another prisoner, and even more so could be the centaur Heroic Spirit before her eyes who was like a blank sheet of paper.

Seeing Fu Leimei advising him not to give up such a good thing, Herbert smiled with relief.

Although the mermaid Young Lady was a bit more sensitive than the hungry dragon Young Lady, her emotions were also richer, and she had quite a bit of temper, she was not the jealous type.

On the contrary, she was very understanding of the bigger picture.

As long as it was beneficial to Herbert, although she might not necessarily like it, she would not refuse.

That was good.

If Fu Leimei really had that petty-minded sort of personality, Herbert might not necessarily be able to stand it… he wouldn't have pursued her in the first place either.

Herbert smiled at Fu Leimei, signaling her to calm down: "Don't worry, it's not because of you that I'm rejecting her."

This was not an excuse to placate Fu Leimei, but the truth.

Herbert's reason for rejecting Sophia was absolutely not because Fu Leimei was present.

If he really wanted to do it, even Fu Leimei wouldn't be able to stop Herbert.

And the reason for rejecting such a beneficial-with-no-downsides good thing was only one — he had a better plan.

"…"

And after confirming that Herbert truly did not intend to acknowledge himself as her master, Sophia's head drooped down in disappointment, feeling as if her entire life had lost its light.

She felt her whole being plunge into darkness, and everything around her began to grow cold and gloomy.

Sophia even felt as if she was about to disappear.

And this… was not merely an illusion.

In such disappointment, her soul core also began to gradually dim.

Heroic Spirits, as beings whose existence is sustained by faith, after losing the one they serve, would mostly walk down such a path.

When the deity they served fell, the divine realm would not collapse entirely at the first moment, but some parts would remain.

Most Heroic Spirits would crumble and perish upon sensing the fall of their deity, and the remaining Heroic Spirits would also slowly fade away during this time.

The collapse of faith meant the end of their lives.

Only those Heroic Spirits with the most resolute will, who forever believed that the deity would one day return, could survive for long, or even become a different form of being.

"Master is already gone, then… do I also have no reason to exist?"

Thinking this, Sophia began to feel her body growing lighter and lighter.

But just at this moment of despair, Sophia heard a gentle call.

"Sophia."

!!!

Whose voice was this?

That voice was incomparably gentle, making her recall the deepest softness within her heart.

Who is speaking?

Who is…

And just as Sophia was straining to recall whose voice this belonged to, she heard the second call.

"Raise your head."

!!!

Without a shred of hesitation, Sophia jerked her head up and looked ahead.

Then, she saw a pair of eyes brimming with tenderness.

Those pale-grey eyes seemed to hold all the truth in the world, every gentleness there was, and she unconsciously sank into them.

Next, Sophia heard the third sentence.

"If this is what you wish for, then… I shall answer your prayer."

"I will become your Master."

In an instant, all the darkness was driven away, all the chill vanishing into nothing.

Sophia's eyes flew wide; she stared dumbly at the existence she had been gazing upon.

The white-haired youth was now standing before her, smiling faintly at her, and said softly:

"I will help you find your Master."

"And during that time, if you wish, I will temporarily become your Master."

To become Master, but only temporarily.

Sophia had just begun to feel disappointed when she heard Herbert's next words.

"I don't need the loyalty that comes from instinct."

"That loyalty does not belong to me."

Herbert did not need a feeling that belonged to someone else and had been mistakenly placed upon him.

No matter what that feeling was.

Loyalty, love, or even the fondness that comes from loving a house and all its crows — he wanted none of it.

I can possess all of this on my own; I need no one's help.

The youth smiled proudly, confidently, and winked at the bewildered Heroic Spirit.

"Of course, this is not a refusal of your loyalty."

"If, in the end, after finding your former Master again, you still believe that I am your Master…"

He gently cupped the centaur's cheeks, wiping away the illusory tears that had fallen at some unknown moment.

"Then, I am your Master."

!!!

After hearing those words, Sophia did not know why, but she felt an overwhelming sadness wash over her.

Sophia had forgotten many things.

But at this moment, she still recalled a nameless loneliness.

As if she had been abandoned for many, many years.

Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years…

She had been forgotten in a corner, waiting for someone who would never return.

And now, someone had come before her, lifted her from that corner, and gently brushed away the dust upon her.

That person said:

"Come with me."

"I will be your Master."

!!!

At this moment, Sophia forgot everything else, threw her arms tightly around the "Master" right before her eyes, and began to sob softly.

"Wuuu…"

And after being pulled into that embrace, Herbert froze for a moment, first turning to look at Fu Leimei, and spreading his innocent hands.

You saw all that, right!

This wasn't me making a move — she was the one who initiated it.

And Fu Leimei, upon seeing that little expression on Herbert's face — a mix of surprise and smugness — shook her head helplessly and sighed.

"…Sigh."

Her expression was somewhere between a smile and not, tinged with both emotion and ruefulness.

Fu Leimei had always known of Herbert's ability to beguile hearts — she was one of those who had experienced it firsthand.

But when she witnessed such a scene unfolding before her own eyes, she still could not help but sigh.

"You bastard, you're really good at tricking women!"

"What are you saying? When have I ever tricked a woman?"

Herbert, while gently patting Sophia's back, turned his head and complained to Fu Leimei: "Don't go spreading nonsense!"

Careful, I'll sue you for slander!

"How could you not have?"

Fu Leimei, recalling what had just happened, could not help but say: "First you make her despair, then at the very end you give her hope."

"Herbert, you really ought to drop dead!"

(End of chapter)