Chapter 398: The Ones in the Mirror (Request Subscription)

“What?”

Valentina froze, her pupils dilating after being scolded, staring at Herbert with round eyes.

“You… you told me to get lost?”

She was stunned.

He told me to get lost?

He told me to leave?

He…

“Herbert?!”

Valentina widened her eyes, shouting in disbelief: “You told me to get lost?”

You?!

After being coldly rebuked by Herbert, Miss Hungry Dragon flew into a rage.

Anger.

Very angry!

As a [Wrathbringer], her fury was terrifying!

The demonic flames she spat could burn enemies to ash, her claws could tear them apart, her body could crush them into pulp!

But that mighty dragon whose rage once struck fear into all enemies, when facing Herbert, did not unleash her usual fury.

Instead… deep sorrow.

Tears fell helplessly from her big eyes, plop plop.

Valentina, weeping, lips pouting, cried out mournfully: “Don’t you love me anymore?”

“After Wendy, are you leaving me too?!”

“Are you abandoning me too?!”

After Herbert fell silent, Valentina took a deep breath and clenched her fists.

“Mmm…”

She did not scream or unleash her violent power; instead, like a child about to be abandoned, she sat down on the ground and pleaded weakly.

“Herbert, don’t leave me, okay?”

“I’ll be good! Really!”

“Please don’t abandon me!!!”

Seeing Herbert still not respond, Valentina lay flat on the ground and began wailing dramatically.

“Herbert! You big idiot!!!”

“Big idiot!!!”

“I’m not talking to you!”

“I don’t like you anymore!”

“Don’t like you anymore!”

Herbert listened in silence, gazing down at this scene, feeling his cheeks twitch slightly.

“Huh…”

This trial was more troublesome than he’d expected.

Even if this scene was fake, it shook his heart deeply.

Though Herbert knew perfectly well this was merely a phantom, a shadow formed from his own memories, he still couldn’t bring himself to be cruel to her.

The key was, no other monster girl might act this way—begging on the ground, pleading not to be left—but his beloved Miss Hungry Dragon… she just might.

She really could.

This was getting too real…

“What am I supposed to do now? Seriously.”

Herbert rubbed his temples, feeling trapped in a dilemma.

Engage her? Or ignore her?

He hesitated.

Engaging her would indeed stop her crying.

Herbert immediately saw the problem.

Clearly, the more he interacted with “Valentina,” the deeper he’d sink into the trap of [Silence and Noise], the more entrenched he’d become in this illusion.

But ignoring her…

Herbert fell silent for a long while, then sighed helplessly and clicked his tongue.

“Tch! Huh…”

After making his decision, Herbert strode forward and knelt gently before the sprawled Hungry Dragon.

Looking down at the still-acting girl, he sighed: “Enough, stop pretending. I’m still here.”

“Herbert, you big… hmm?!”

The Hungry Dragon, who had been crying a moment before, froze instantly, looking up at Herbert beside her, eyes filled with unease.

Her lips moved, but she said nothing, turning her head away with a huff.

“…Hmph!”

But because she’d just been crying so hard, her nose was clogged with clear snot.

So a bubble formed.

It swelled, then—pop—a bubble vanished.

Herbert watched this absurd sight, barely holding back his expression, biting his tongue to keep from laughing.

“…”

In that moment, he suddenly regretted it—why did I even respond to her?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his regret, and whispered: “Why are you turning away? You didn’t want me to leave you, did you?”

“Because you’re a jerk!”

Valentina’s “I’m not talking to you” lasted no time at all—she spun back around, glaring at him: “You heartless, terrible jerk!”

“Yes, I am.”

Herbert smiled, nodding openly, then asked: “I’m the terrible jerk you mentioned—so, don’t you like me anymore?”

“…I do like you!”

Valentina pouted harder, complaining: “You’re a terrible jerk, I’m a big idiot—why should I still like you? Damn it, damn it…”

Even knowing Herbert was a heartless fellow who sometimes liked to tease her, Miss Hungry Dragon still loved him deeply.

After grumbling a bit, she pursed her lips, sniffled, and tentatively asked: “Then… do you still like me?”

Herbert looked at Valentina, tears still drying on her cheeks, and nodded without hesitation.

“Love.”

He gazed at Valentina’s joyful expression, his eyes filled with unshakable affection and tenderness, whispering: “I love Valentina more than anyone else—this will never change.”

He watched her smile through tears, a soft smile in his own eyes, and added before she could speak: “Even if the one before me is only a phantom, I still love you deeply.”

Had Herbert been deceived by Valentina’s phantom? Did he not know she was fake?

He knew. He knew everything.

Even now, he remained fully rational and alert, untouched by the illusion in the slightest.

She was Valentina—but not Valentina. Only a phantom wearing her form.

“But… a phantom is still a phantom.”

He looked tenderly at Valentina’s frozen expression, his voice still gentle, whispering:

“What I must do is end this trial, then go to you—the real you—and embrace you truly.”

Valentina’s phantom stared at Herbert in silence, pressing her lips tightly together.

Tears fell again.

Plop plop—the tears slowly ran in streams down her cheeks.

“Enough, stop crying.”

At this moment, the “heartless” Herbert knelt on one knee before Valentina’s phantom, raising his hand to tenderly ruffle her hair.

“I’m right here.”

In the end, Herbert still softened, making contact with the phantom.

Herbert knew that if he touched her, he would sink even deeper into this illusion.

He knew everything.

Yet he did it anyway, ignoring all consequences.

Even if she was a phantom, she was still his beloved Miss Hungry Dragon.

Screw the traps.

She’s crying here—I can’t bear to watch. That reason… is enough.

…

Meanwhile.

In the endless labyrinth, Miss Hungry Dragon, asleep, let out a huge yawn and scratched her butt without grace.

Her eyes remained shut, grinding her teeth as she mumbled: “Herbert, you… big jerk… hmm.”

I wonder what kind of dream Valentina had that made her sigh, pout her lips, and mutter angrily in her sleep.

“You’re actually being mean to me...”

“I’m not talking to you anymore... Hmph!”

“You’re such an idiot!”

After Herbert soothed her, Valentina’s phantom pouted and gave him a resentful look before rolling over.

She tackled him, said nothing, buried her face in his chest, and rubbed hard against him.

“You...”

Herbert raised a hand to stroke her hair and sighed, “Even in a phantom, you still use my clothes to wipe your face?”

You damn dragon, even in a phantom, you’re going to do this?

Wiping oil off your lips with my clothes is one thing, but don’t use it to wipe your snot and tears... really.

He grumbled, yet made no resistance, quietly stroking Valentina’s hair until she faded away.

After the phantom vanished, Herbert let out a long breath and shook his head, deeply exhausted.

“Phew...”

“I conquered the real you—why would I fear your phantom?”

Herbert always feared encountering phantoms that demanded his secrets, never fearing any forceful pressure.

But he reluctantly realized he wasn’t nearly as cold-hearted as he imagined.

His heart was too soft.

“Herbert, you pathetic soft-hearted fool.” He grumbled, sitting up from the ground and looking around.

“A mental world?”

When Herbert opened his eyes again, he was not in the Mirror Space, but his will had entered a phantom realm.

Though he had yielded to the Shadow of the Hungry Dragon, the phantom remained—this trial was not over.

So, after Valentina, whose phantom would appear next?

As he pondered, a tender chuckle came from behind him.

“My hero, you look full of doubt. Have you encountered trouble?”

Herbert turned without surprise, smiled at Freyme’s phantom, and nodded. “Yes, I’ve run into a small problem.”

The Mermaid Lady giggled softly, gliding to his side and propping her chin on her hand. “Then, shall I help you?”

Herbert immediately nodded, staring at her, and asked earnestly, “Can you give me a hug right now?”

“Hm?”

Freyme blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly and nodded. “Of course.”

She glided smoothly into his arms, wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her ear to his chest, listened to his heartbeat, and asked, “What happened?”

Herbert was not a man who liked to show weakness or cling—at least that's what he claimed.

To ask for a hug so directly was rare for him.

Herbert looked down at the Mermaid Lady, his fingers gently tracing her earlobe, brushing the wind-chime earring, and whispered, “I love you, Freyme.”

Hearing this unguarded confession, Freyme froze, lifted her head to look at him, and saw the smile on his lips.

The Mermaid Lady blinked, then smiled too, nodding softly. “I love you too, my hero. What trouble are you facing?”

“I’m facing a trial. I’m trying to figure out how to break through it,” Herbert murmured.

“A trial? What exactly is the trial?”

The Mermaid Lady asked, but Herbert only smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

“Herbert? If you don’t tell me, I won’t understand. You... hmm?”

She watched Herbert, silent and shaking his head, and seemed to realize something. She glanced around the surroundings, lost in thought.

After a moment, she whispered softly:

“...Is it me?”

She released her arms from around his waist and glided around his body.

Freyme’s slender arms circled Herbert’s neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Herbert, I love you deeply.”

“If this is a trial, I will not be your obstacle.”

“Even if it isn’t a trial, I will never hinder your path.”

After speaking these words, Freyme’s phantom slowly closed her eyes.

“My hero, keep walking bravely.”

Deepwater Prison.

Freyme, adjusting her alchemical legs, blinked, shook her head, and seemed to snap out of a daze.

“I feel like I just spaced out for a moment?”

She yawned, stretched wearily.

“For some reason, I feel like he’s run into trouble?”

Freyme pondered, then smiled and hummed happily.

“Whatever the difficulty, my hero will surely overcome it~”

She felt cheerful and wanted to sing.

“Which song should I pick?”

“I’ll pick ‘My Hero’! May my hero overcome every obstacle~”

Just as she was about to play, she changed her mind, blushing with a smile.

“Oh, how about ‘My Beloved’? I feel like Herbert loves me even more now~”

“So he really can leave on his own?”

Herbert felt the weight on his shoulder vanish and blinked in surprise.

Freyme’s phantom, through her own will, chose not to be his obstacle and departed voluntarily.

He realized now—when Valentina’s phantom vanished, she too had left after complaining.

These phantoms were not the “inner demons” he imagined, not malicious entities seeking to block him. They seemed unaware they were phantoms.

They truly believed they were the “real themselves.”

“If that’s the case... I think I know how to resolve this.” Herbert touched his chin, thoughtful.

And the next phantom to appear was indeed Elisa.

Herbert faced the vampire phantom, who had just appeared and hadn’t spoken yet, and said directly: “Look, no time for chatter—I need a favor.”

“Kneel.”

Thud.

Upon hearing this, the Vampire Lady reacted instinctively—without resistance, her knees buckled and she knelt heavily before Herbert.

Only after kneeling and instinctively opening her mouth did she suddenly realize, eyes widening.

Huh?

Wait, what just happened?

“You... uh!”

(End of Chapter)