Chapter 368

"Shut up!"

"Huh? Are you yelling at me? Got embarrassed and angry, didn't you? Obviously, you're secretly in love with me!"

"Tsk! I already said it's not like that!"

"It is~ it is~"

"No! No! Aaaah—shut up!"

After being pressured by Herbert for a long while, Luccalia finally broke down, escaping her apathetic state and glaring fiercely at the annoying boy before her.

"You! Shut up!"

She angrily tugged at her hair, finally snapping and roaring: "Stop! What do you want from me to leave me alone?"

Just leave me alone, please.

Don't bother me anymore.

What did I even do wrong?

Won't I change?

I'll change—

"Leave you alone?"

Seeing her finally respond seriously, Herbert smiled, raised an eyebrow, and countered: "Who's not letting go of whom? It's you who won't let go of me, isn't it?"

"After all, the one constantly watching every move of another person… is you, not me."

Upon being reminded of this, Luccalia's momentum instantly deflated.

"Ah, well… there are many reasons for this, the truth isn't what you think, um."

Aware she was in the wrong, she bit her lip, her gaze shifting away, trying to evade this awkward question.

But awkwardly, there were too many mirrors in the Mirror Space—no matter which angle she looked, she saw Herbert's amused gaze returning to her.

If it were anyone else, Luccalia could have hidden herself as their shadow…

But now, her true face had been exposed before Herbert, and she could no longer conceal herself.

Her disguise was utterly transparent before Herbert, hiding nothing, forced to endure the silent interrogation of his gaze.

No, this interrogation was not "silent" at all.

It was extremely noisy.

Herbert pressed his advantage, smiling warmly as he pressed: "If the truth isn't as I said, then why don't you explain it to me?"

Pursue the defeated enemy with remaining strength; don't seek empty fame like the Overlord.

Beat the drowning dog, folks!

Charge! Charge! Charge!

"Luccalia, I'm not a Bai Chi, and you don't need to treat me like some foolish child."

"You know better than I do what this ability truly means."

Herbert's expression grew slightly serious as he said earnestly: "If everything you say is true, then I will lose all privacy before you."

Luccalia saw every movement Herbert made in every mirror.

This ability… honestly exceeded Herbert's expectations.

Moreover, Luccalia's ability had a very vague definition of "mirror"—it didn't have to be an actual mirror surface.

If a calm lake surface can be considered a mirror, then can a pupil that reflects images also be considered a mirror?

If so…

That means Luccalia can see Herbert at any time, through anyone's gaze.

If this were truly the case, this ability would be terrifying indeed.

Box opened!

This is constant box-opening!

You can turn on your camera anytime, see what you're doing, even secretly record it as leverage for blackmail.

How are we supposed to be virtual streamers!?

This ability sounds like some hentai game's hack that forcibly activates cameras to capture intimate footage and blackmail innocent women.

It gives off that "Madam, you wouldn't want your husband to see you like this, would you?" vibe.

"So, my dear voyeur, Miss."

Herbert's playful smile faded. He shook his head gently and asked slowly: "Can you tell me what you intend to do with this ability?"

"Or, more plainly—what do you want to do to me?"

"What benefit is there for you to spy on me?"

Confess and receive leniency; resist and face severity.

Speak! What do you intend to do to this humble servant?

"…Tsk."

Luccalia no longer broke down; she looked at Herbert with a complex expression, sighed faintly, and shook her head: "... You're smarter than I thought."

The Mirror Sprite fluttered her shattered-mirror wings, drifting lightly as she circled Herbert, scanning him up and down.

She muttered, complaining softly: "Herbert, why are you so smart?"

"You figured it out too fast! I thought you'd take longer to realize what's happening to you."

"And it's not even something harmful to you—why must you insist on understanding?"

Luccalia huffed, pouting as she shouted: "Learn some sense! Sometimes, not knowing the truth is better—being kept in the dark can sometimes be a kind of happiness."

As the saying goes, it's rare to be foolish.

Often, not understanding—or deliberately choosing not to understand—is a wise way to protect oneself.

Turn a blind eye, and everyone shares a tacit understanding.

The so-called — good enough is good enough.

Facing Liukaliya's displeasure, Herbert merely smiled faintly, neither mocking further nor offering any explanation.

"Hehe~"

Herbert was hardly the greenhorn who didn't know how to play this game.

Not only did he know — he knew it very well!

In front of the Archbishop, he was quite adept at playing "rarely confused," and his act was flawless.

And the Archbishop was likewise a master of this art, his acting seasoned and deep, betraying not the slightest flaw.

The two of them maintained a rather "ambiguous" relationship, neither willing to overstep the mark.

But why did Herbert insist on pinning down Liukaliya's thoughts this time?

There were two reasons he did so.

On one hand, he worried this forced "unboxing" ability might interfere with his life, so he wanted to guard against her.

On the other hand, naturally, there was a special purpose.

Their relationship was already one of mutual engagement; seizing this chance to gain more say would be a bargain.

After thoroughly sussing out Herbert's attitude, Liukaliya resigned herself and began explaining her behavior.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk, okay! Cough, cough… actually, there was no special purpose."

"You're very interesting, with a rather special destiny. I want to witness your 【future】, record your 【present】, and sing of your 【past】."

She looked at Herbert and said helplessly: "For that, I paid a price — I performed an ancient ritual and bound myself to you."

Young Lady Mirror Sprite gave a fairly detailed explanation, and Herbert nodded thoughtfully.

According to Liukaliya, when she was watching him, he was watching her as well.

Because there was no hidden element, there was no such thing as peeping.

The way you put it… am I some kind of abyss?

Besides, although he felt Liukaliya's words might still contain some undisclosed hidden meaning, Herbert decided not to dig too deep.

"Rarely confused," after all.

In any case, for him this didn't sound like a bad thing.

"It's as if you've gained an epic-tier powerhouse to protect you… right!"

Liukaliya talked herself into believing it by the end, clapped her hands sharply, and nodded firmly:

"This is all me worrying you'd die young — protection I'm giving you! Putting it this way, cough — putting it this way, it's you who got the bargain!"

That's right, that's exactly how it is!

That was my plan from the very start!

"Mm-hmm."

Hearing this, Herbert didn't argue, just smiled and nodded, fixing her with an amused, half-smiling gaze.

Are you treating me like some Valentina to coax?

Does it look that dumb?

Pinned by that gaze, Liukaliya knew she couldn't fool him, but could only stiffen her neck and brazen it out.

HoldingOn. JPG

In the end, Herbert didn't press further.

He lowered his eyes, looked at the Mirror Sprite before him, and asked in a notably gentle voice: "So… do you think it was worth it?"

"Worth it?"

Liukaliya found the question a little odd and fixed her gaze on Herbert's eyes.

The moment two pairs of pale grey eyes met, a flash of light seemed to spark and vanish between them.

If anyone could see the tributaries of these two people's destinies at this moment, they would notice their tributaries intersecting for the first time.

Rivers that should never have crossed were drawn together by a great force, flowing toward the same direction, stretching endlessly toward the future.

Liukaliya sensed something faintly, realizing that after completing the ritual and being seen in her true form, she had already bound her destiny to Herbert's.

Was this what she had hoped for at the start?

No.

Then, did she resist this outcome?

Also no.

"Who knows? What's worth it or not?"

Young Lady Mirror Sprite pouted, gave a dismissive hum: "Just hope your performance from here on won't disappoint me."

She hoped to witness a magnificent, sweeping grand destiny.

And the young man, on whom such hopes were pinned, smiled lightly at her words and said calmly and confidently: "Then I probably won't disappoint you too much."

In this world, nothing is more dangerous than the world of the gods.

And as Nie Nasha's ally, his future was destined to be anything but peaceful — it would surely plunge into those surging, roaring storms.

Feeling that inexplicable, powerful confidence radiating from Herbert, Liukaliya nodded silently, then asked curiously: "Speaking of which, aren't you afraid of me?"

"Mm?"

To make sure Herbert understood her meaning, she even explained specifically: "It's just the two of us now — aren't you afraid I'll trap you inside a mirror world?"

Aren't you worried at all?

Where does Herbert's boldness come from?

Is it from his connections with Valentina and Rushir? Or does he truly have some trump card?

"Me, afraid of you? Afraid of what?"

Herbert raised a brow at her words, slanting a glance at the petite enchantress before him, and said with a curl of his lip, "Afraid you'll beat me to death? Or afraid you'll do something improper to me?"

"The former—I hold the Sealing Technique. As for the latter… do you really think I'm the one who should be afraid?"

The one who ought to be afraid… shouldn't it be you?

If you really were just a mirror, then I honestly wouldn't have any particular interest—there's nothing unseemly one can do to a mirror.

But clearly, you aren't!

Since you have a physical form, then even if you were a god, you also… ahem.

Herbert's outrageous remark made Lukaliya shudder violently, and with a whoosh she darted back into the ancient mirror, peering out at him from within with a face full of wary distaste.

Don't come over here. JPG

"Haha."

Herbert shook his head with a smile—he had only been teasing her just now; he didn't truly intend to do anything at present—but the future was another matter.

"Oh right, didn't you want to bear witness? It so happens I have something I'd like to ask your help with."

"What help?" The Mirror-Demon Young Lady looked at Herbert warily, ready at any moment to flee to the depths of the Mirror World.

"A small favor."

Herbert took out the potion the Bishop of Ashes had given him and waved it in front of the mirror: "I'm going to drink something, so I'd trouble you to keep an eye on me."

Lukaliya hesitated, and upon clearly seeing what was inside, her brow furrowed: "This is… where did you get it?"

"Oh? You recognize it?" Herbert was somewhat surprised.

"Recognize it?"

Lukaliya's gaze grew unnatural, a strange gleam flashing through her eyes, and she said with a subtle expression: "【Silence and Clamor】—an alchemical potion formulated from the blood of a mirror-demon, granting one the ability to see phantoms within the mirror."

"Holding this, could it be that you intend to…"

Herbert nodded and smiled: "Since you know, that makes things easier. That's right—exactly what you're thinking. I'm going to drink it."

"I'm expecting to face some trials, so when the time comes I'll be counting on you to watch over me."

Since one would see phantoms within the mirror, having the demon within the mirror protect him—wasn't that a perfect match?

However, Herbert's lovely设想 came to nothing.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the phantoms you see after drinking it can only be seen by you yourself. I have no way to help you from within the Mirror World."

Lukaliya shook her head: "You can only rely on yourself. There's little I can do—at most, I can keep you from being disturbed by other things in the Mirror World."

As for Herbert's request, the Mirror-Demon Young Lady truly could do little to help.

"I see… well, that's fine too. It's enough."

Herbert pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Then I'll trouble you to wake me if something seems off with my condition."

"That much I can still do." Lukaliya did not refuse this request, which was not a difficult one.

She knew the effects of 【Silence and Clamor】, and had roughly guessed Herbert's purpose in doing this.

The Keeper of Secrets' ritual.

As for Herbert's ultimate performance, she was quite curious as well.

A person like you, who carries so many secrets—can you truly hold fast to your true heart?

You… can you become a Keeper of Secrets?

Midnight.

Under the gaze of countless reflections in mirrors, Herbert uncorked the potion bottle and, without the slightest hesitation, drank down 【Silence and Clamor】.

He kept his eyes tightly shut, feeling as though his throat had swallowed raging fire and biting ice, wanting to scream out loud.

He clenched his fists and only just managed to hold it in.

Herbert knew clearly that it was merely a mental illusion—because he was not afraid of real flames.

That was the searing heat of lies.

That was the icy cold of truth.

This was the first trial.

One must endure the urge to flee from the scorching lies, and bear the company of the freezing truth.

"…"

A moment later, as the sensation in his throat gradually faded, Herbert understood that he had successfully advanced to the next stage.

"Then, the second stage should be the phantoms, yes?"

"Who will appear?"

With this thought in mind, Herbert slowly opened his eyes, blinked, and revealed a rather relieved smile.

"Well, as I thought, it's you."

He saw someone who should never have appeared here—Valentina.

Miss Hungry Dragon puffed out her cheeks and looked at him discontentedly, huffing: "Herbert, how could you leave me behind and wander off again?"

"How did you end up here again? Come on, let's go get something to eat—I'm hungry again…"

She stepped forward and naturally tried to take his hand, but Herbert gently dodged.

"Mm?"

The youth smiled as he looked at the phantom before him, no tenderness in his eyes at all, and spoke in a rather cold tone:

"Get lost."

(End of chapter)