Chapter 337: Be Your [Hound] (52K Bonus Chapter 114 115)

"Of course I noticed—I'm not Bai Chi." Herbert huffed irritably.

"Then… are you angry?" Svanney smiled lightly.

"Yes, I'm furious. I feel like you used me as a stand-in for Elisa."

"Elisa? You don't need to overthink her."

"Oh, fair point."

……

Far away, Elisa, who had gone to greet Teresa, sneezed and blinked in confusion.

Huh?

Why did I sneeze?

"Um… Young Lady Elisa?"

Opposite Elisa, the innocent girl splattered across the face looked wounded, lips pouting.

"Ah! Oh no, I didn't mean to—sorry!" Elisa hurried forward, trying to wipe her off.

But she didn't look where she was stepping and stepped squarely on the tip of Teresa's serpent tail.

"Sss!"

"Oh! Sorry!"

……

On the other side, Herbert and Svanney, having just gossiped about the absent Miss Xie Shen, exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"Heh, you're her best friend—how can you say something so blunt?"

"Precisely because I'm her best friend, I can only say this to you."

Svanney smiled faintly, rose gracefully, then bent low before Herbert, bowing respectfully:

"I, Svanney Moore, last bloodline descendant of the Moore family, current Grand Matriarch, offer you my highest reverence."

"As previously stated, I intend to pursue you."

Herbert, for his part, had already accepted it—he had no way to refuse, nor any strong reason to.

He merely asked, out of habit, the question that intrigued him: "By the way, in pursuing me, do you want me to help you with something?"

Herbert asked casually, not expecting an answer—but she gave him a prepared response.

"Yes, if possible, I hope you will help me bear enough offspring to restore the Moore family's prosperity."

?

Herbert froze, his mind flooded with questions.

"You said 'enough'—what does that mean? Wait, hold on… you actually want to rebuild the Moore family?"

Compared to the abstract notion before, Herbert was stunned by Svanney's goal.

"I never realized you still had such feelings for this family."

This surprised Herbert deeply.

But Svanney shook her head, refuting his assumption, and explained:

"No, you're right—I've always despised the bloodline of the 【Traitor】. I loathe the fate that forces us to betray one another."

"Then what are you trying to do?" Herbert was even more confused.

You hate it… yet you're doing this? Are you a lickspittle?

Hmm, no—that's backwards.

A lickspittle does it because they like it.

After all, who would willingly become a lickspittle if they didn't like it?

Svanney didn't catch Herbert's thoughts; she turned her head toward the city's ruins and whispered: "I don't like it—but Stila did."

"She always loved the Moore family, took pride in it, wanted to become Grand Matriarch… and though she ultimately achieved it, she destroyed it herself."

"In the end, her soul conveyed one thing to me—she regretted it. She regretted destroying the clan."

Herbert raised an eyebrow. "So you're trying to make up for her regret?"

Honestly, Svanney's reasoning made sense—but he didn't think it meant anything.

When a relative dies, they're gone. Debts owed in life cannot be repaid after death.

Besides, between the two sisters, who owed whom was still unclear.

But Svanney shook her head, denying it: "No, I'm doing this not for Stila. She's dead—her soul has returned to the Sea of Chaos. I know that better than anyone."

She was a rational legendary mage, not a weeping child who clung to the illusion that her other half still lived.

"Believe me—I'm doing this entirely for myself."

"I want to walk a path entirely opposite to hers, to prove Stila was wrong."

Svanney gazed earnestly into Herbert's eyes, speaking with absolute conviction: "I intend to build a new Moore family."

"One that no longer hides in dark, pitiful corners—but lives beneath the sunlight."

"If surface elves can come down underground, then dark elves can return to the surface."

"Once, the Moore clan had no choice. Now, I want it to walk in the light."

To the "executioner" who had shattered Miss Xie Shen's scheme and utterly destroyed the Moore clan, she whispered: "If it was destroyed beneath the sun, then let it be reborn beneath its light."

The embodiment of the blazing sun destroyed all—so let it begin anew beneath that same sun.

"A new Moore clan? Hmm…"

Herbert felt Svanney's emotion and nodded silently: "If that's your goal, I won't stop you—but be prepared. You'll pay a heavy price."

"For instance, you'll need to change your family motto."

【The Blood of the Traitor Knows No End.】

As a Holy Knight, Herbert could not allow such a maxim to continue existing.

It must be shut down for rectification!

Otherwise, I'll inspect your fire safety—daily inspections!

"Of course, the 【Traitor】 has already entered history and will never return to the stage of history."

Svanney had already prepared her response: "In contrast to betrayal, the new Moore clan will remain eternally loyal."

"What about the 【Loyalist】?"

Upon hearing this name, Herbert's heart stirred, a strange feeling arising within him.

Wait, why do I feel the direction of this conversation is odd…

"Not to any deity, nor to me, your Grand Mistress—only to one person."

Svanney gazed deeply at Herbert, who was beginning to suspect, and voiced the guess he himself felt uncertain about.

"Yes—it is loyalty to you."

Herbert: Holy shit!!?

He blinked, raised a finger, and pointed at himself.

Huh?

Me? Me?

Svanney nodded seriously, pressing further: "If you wish, we could change the name to 【Hound】."

She clasped Herbert's left hand with both of hers and said earnestly: "Let me—let all my future clan descendants become your most loyal dogs."

Herbert didn't quite catch the rest of her request, but from Svanney's eyes, he saw two large characters.

Loyalty!

"This… cough."

Herbert hesitated, shook his head, and raised his right hand to halt her: "Wait, you—wait a moment."

To be honest, Herbert was feeling a bit overwhelmed at this moment.

The Holy Knight, who usually played big, was struck by considerable mental shock.

He felt as if some incredible young lady had latched onto him.

Where exactly did this script go wrong?

Was it when, as Svanney said, he became the "special person" who helped her, believed in her, and chose her?

Or was it, in fact, from the very beginning?

Is this truly Svanney's true nature?

The so-called instinct of a Dark Elf.

If so, then Svanney has always been like this—she merely never encountered an object capable of awakening this instinct, so she suppressed it.

Thinking this way, it seemed strangely reasonable despite its absurdity.

Hss…

Eliza just likes pain—a masochist—but you actually want to be my dog?

I never expected that tiny Darkless Prison had simultaneously gathered both of you—two geniuses, like a dragon and a phoenix.

"... This is truly astonishing." Herbert sighed for a long while before finally calming down.

He looked down at Svanney and asked slowly: "Serious?"

And the answer, of course, was unhesitating.

"Utterly serious." Svanney caught the tone in Herbert's voice and smiled.

She knew this "soft-hearted" Holy Knight had already been persuaded by her words.

"Alright."

Herbert nodded, and after a moment's thought, accepted the matter without pretense.

"Svanney, I accept your loyalty."

Though the initial shock was great, upon reflection, it was merely accepting the loyalty of a clan—nothing extraordinary.

He was the Lord of Ellda.

Though it was now only a small village, it would surely grow stronger in the future.

One clan's defection would not be an isolated case—many more would surely follow.

It was only a matter of time.

Now, he was merely getting used to it ahead of schedule.

"Thank you for your mercy, my Lord." Svanney bowed gratefully and kissed his fingertip again.

Herbert withdrew his finger and said coolly: "You don't need to call me 'Lord'—just keep it in your heart."

Thinking about it, too many people were calling him 'Lord'—don't let your roles overlap.

Herbert's demeanor was somewhat cold, but Svanney's smile grew even brighter, even flushing slightly.

Case solved—she was indeed outwardly cold, but inwardly craved rough treatment!

Thinking about it, one was a little devil masochist, the other a cold beauty with a hidden twist—this felt like a common pairing in certain doujinshi.

Herbert silently mocked himself, then asked another question: "By the way, about this matter—do you plan to tell Eliza?"

"If you wish it, I have no objection." Svanney showed no strong preference on this.

She had merely found herself a master—she felt no shame.

"Then let's keep it quiet for now."

Herbert stroked his chin and smiled pleasantly: "I want to watch the two of you perform, pretending to hide your true selves—it'll be fascinating."

More precisely, he wanted to see Eliza struggling to conceal her true nature.

It will surely be interesting!

"Heh, then as you wish," Svanney said, also somewhat intrigued, and had no objection.

Saying this, she licked her red lips, leaned close, and whispered: "But I hope you'll reward me a little when we're alone."

Herbert raised an eyebrow and smiled: "I can certainly give you some rewards—but not to this body."

"By the way..."

"Svanney, have I ever seen your true form?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Svanney paused, puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"Your true form—not the flesh clone that tricked me at first, nor the fleshy growth that became the treehouse. I mean your real, original body," Herbert said calmly.

At first, he had thought he had forced out Svanney's true form, but after learning of her clone ability, he realized that too might not have been her actual body.

When this topic came up, Svanney, rarely embarrassed, loosened her grip on him, stepped back two paces, and gave a nervous, awkward laugh.

"That... alright, I haven't shown you my true form yet."

She gestured to a spot slightly shorter than her current height, helplessly saying: "My real self isn't as mature-looking as I am now."

"Though I'm Stilla's twin sister, we don't actually look much alike."

"I'm the older sister, but I look younger, and my skin is lighter..."

"Alright, as a Dark Elf, that skin tone is indeed much lighter."

Svanney frantically explained under Herbert's astonished gaze, then helplessly added: "Ugh! I mean—if you want to see it... I'm fine with it."

Herbert admired her flustered state, nodded with satisfaction, and laughed: "Ha! Take more time to prepare—I'm looking forward to the day I finally face your true form."

"Lord Herbert... do you know?"

Svanney pressed her lips together, muttering in a distant yet slightly resentful tone: "Sometimes, you're really good at tormenting people."

"Oh? So in your view, it's only sometimes?" Herbert burst into laughter, waved his hand, and strode toward where the others were.

"Come on, let's not linger here—we should head back."

Behind him, the Dark Elf, left standing with a look of wounded resentment, watched his retreating back, moved her lips, then smiled.

"Indeed."

"You always are."

"You're exceptionally skilled at making others feel gratitude, reverence, admiration."

She licked her lips, savoring the sensation on her tongue, whispering softly.

"... And affection."

One week later.

"Cyril, you really won't go back?"

A cultivator looked at Cyril, who seemed like a different person now, and whispered in warning: "I know you're bitter inside, but staying here alone is far too dangerous."

Though some issues had arisen earlier, and strange lights had appeared underground, the overall mission had proceeded relatively smoothly.

On the second day of entering the Shadow Realm, they finally caught up with Cyril, who had been sprinting ahead, and successfully reunited with Herbert, who had arrived just a step behind them.

After that, everything followed the plan: under Herbert's supervision and protection, they trained and collected all the materials the Guardian demanded.

When everything concluded, they were preparing to follow protocol and return home.

But Cyril had proposed staying behind alone!

Everyone was deeply confused.

Though Cyril had a hot temper and a sharp tongue, his heart wasn't bad, and he generally got along well with the group.

They assumed he was sulking, and all tried to dissuade him from doing something foolish.

But Cyril only shook his head, declined their kindness, and explained: "Sorry, I'm not throwing a tantrum—I genuinely plan to stay here a while longer and train further."

He glanced at Herbert's luxurious carriage, moved his lips, and whispered: "Herbert... no, that my lord gave me a task."

"What task?"

Cyril shook his head, offering no further explanation: "Sorry, it's a secret investigation mission."

"But don't worry—I have some magical items for emergencies. I won't be in danger."

Though he didn't know why Herbert wanted him to collect the blood of native Shadow Realm races, he decided to carry it out seriously.

If Lord Herbert requested it, there must be a reason!

After their previous conversation, his view of Herbert had completely changed—he became a firm supporter and immediately requested to follow him.

And Herbert's response, as with Fa'ao, was neither acceptance nor refusal—maintaining an ambiguous stance.

His admiration for Herbert was nearly second only to Fa'ao's.

The more he had resisted before, the more fiercely loyal he became after awakening.

Just as Svanney thought, Herbert might truly possess a unique charm, constantly drawing others' attention and quietly turning them into his followers.

Herbert had no intention of building his own faction in the monastery too early—he had the desire, but his actions remained restrained.

Otherwise, if this trend continued, in a short while, a single call from Herbert could summon a full contingent within the Mist Monastery, breaking away to form a fourth branch.

Even now, without deliberate cultivation, Herbert's reputation within the monastery was quietly rising.

Whenever they heard his legendary tales, heard the cultivators' reflections after meeting him, saw each demon girl he had transformed...

All cultivators watched Herbert's actions closely.

Those who had considered following him were far more than just Fa'ao and Cyril.

But Herbert was still too young, his strength uncertain—some remained reserved, holding back for now.

But the day Herbert steps into legend, everything will change.

At that time, perhaps it would be the day when those observers whose hearts had stirred came forward to join.

……

……

And just as Herbert and his companions finally set out on their return journey.

Having been awake for a week and having visited every room multiple times, having exhausted all topics of conversation, Valentina felt bored.

She was still stuck at the awkward stage of advancing to Epic, Herbert was away, and Fu Leimei and the others could not offer her any effective help.

In the end, Valentina could no longer hold back and carefully pushed open the door leading to the fifth floor.

"That!"

"Hello there!"

"I'm not here to fight! I just want to ask you something… Huh?"

In that space filled with auroras, Young Lady Hungry Dragon did not see the dangerous fallen angel from last time.

Instead, she saw a tall figure with red hair.

That was her own reflection!!?

"No!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Valentina quickly realized it wasn't another version of herself—just a reflection.

"This is… a mirror?"

Just as Valentina relaxed, the reflection in the mirror suddenly moved, offering her a faint smile.

"Hm?"

Valentina:???

(End of Chapter)