Chapter 561: Edith and the Peace Talks

"Are you going to betray me, Edith!"

Facing the accusation.

Edith sneered.

She looked at the half-goat Einala, now a spectral form, with a hint of exasperation.

"My dear lady, you've been spoiled rotten. Drop this act—what you think is true isn't necessarily so. Learn to broaden your perspective, be more tolerant. Watch yourself in your next life."

"Don't forget who saved you back then!"

"I served your family for fifty years. The debt has been repaid. Don't bring it up again."

Edith, wearing the face of a condemned prisoner, wore a distinctly impatient expression.

Though clearly a man, he somehow carried a touch of allure and elegance.

Luo De found it hard to look at.

He turned and kissed Sharon, the dog-people woman who had followed, hard on her finely crafted, wild-beautiful face.

Sharon's tail wagged again, but she grumbled:

"What?"

"The more I look, the more beautiful you seem. I couldn't resist taking a bite."

"Heh. You've said that to every girl in the forest, haven't you? And pay attention to the present!"

"Alright, alright."

Maybe it was just the dog-people's innate loyalty.

Sharon stepped ahead of Luo De, shielding him behind her.

Come on, you're a mage.

Why are you hiding a frontline warrior like me behind you?

Luo De didn't spare her dignity—he picked her up bodily and carried her to the back.

Sharon frowned, ready to push past him.

But Luo De's broad back blocked the doorway; she could only huff in frustration.

She pinched his lower back secretly.

The argument between Einala and Edith didn't last long.

It couldn't even be called an argument.

Only Einala, now a wraith, was screaming.

Edith listened with cold mockery and boredom.

She simply ignored the shouting, plopped down on the bed, and crossed her legs.

She couldn't cross them.

This condemned prisoner's body was too coarse and fat to manage the motion.

Edith muttered under her breath.

Then she turned back to Luo De: "My apologies, Mr. Luo De. The summoning ritual relies on Einala's soul energy. Only with her present can we continue speaking. Please understand."

Sharon peeked half her face from beside the door, frowning:

"You say peace? Then show some sincerity. We've been tormented enough by your so-called Hero Candidates!"

"Of course, of course. We've gathered some compensation and magical materials—worth roughly one and a half million Jin Along. Beyond that, if Mr. Luo De agrees, I will forbid any Hero Candidate from entering the Twilight Hills ever again."

Luo De raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"Forbid? Do you have that power?"

Edith smiled: "There are connections among us Candidates. Not everyone is interested in Candidates. Those who seek peace and dislike disturbance must be respected—that's our survival principle."

Hmph.

Luo De scoffed twice.

Take her words with a grain of salt.

He had long seen that the half-deer Candidates weren't carefully selected, nor were their moral character or knightly virtues ever examined.

The half-deer were desperate for quick gains—just look at how they flooded out of Silver Hoof Deer Valley decades ago to take up advisory roles in human cities.

And now, making peace with Luo De,

As they claimed, was out of fear—terrified by the defeat of two dragons and the expulsion of the Infernal Duke.

And yet,

This was almost certainly just a delaying tactic to buy time to grow stronger.

When the moment arrived,

These Candidates might use the half-deer's prophecies and public opinion to declare Luo De the source of the continent's chaos once more.

Then gather forces and come together to wipe out this boss.

At that point, all his resources, treasures, and personnel would be stripped clean.

Hmph.

Just self-important fools waiting for this flying pig to grow fat before slicing him open.

Fine.

Let's see who levels up faster.

So this one-and-a-half-million compensation? Might as well take it.

"I'm a reasonable man. If you don't harass me, I have no reason to seek you out."

Edith beamed and clapped her hands.

"Then it's settled. I'll send someone with the compensation—and answers to your questions. Avoiding the Hero's Curse is extremely difficult. Even with all your recent attempts to lure others into killing you, the River of Prophecy will still track your whereabouts."

"Oh? Do you have a solution?"

She shook her head: "Even we don't have one. Otherwise, among ourselves, we'd already be tearing each other apart trying to become Heroes. But to show sincerity, I'll take responsibility for Einala's portion."

Saying this,

Edith turned to Einala, who had been screaming nonstop.

Einala's voice cut off instantly.

And in her eyes, she saw clear intent to kill.

She screamed in panic.

She never imagined the being she'd summoned at the cost of her own body would now turn the blade on her.

She spun and ran.

But this was the underground prison crafted by the Tooth Fairy Rosalia.

The stones forming its walls were infused with special ore to prevent spectral escape.

Einala dashed left and right, but her fledgling weakness couldn't pierce even a single solid surface.

Then she was cornered, terrified, by Edith.

"No! No! Edith! My family saved you! You can't do this!"

"Regrettably, Lady Einala, since you were taken by the Balance Association, your family has erased your existence entirely."

"What?"

Edith wasted no words.

Her dirty, thick hand suddenly clenched in the air.

Pure magic flowed like a green current, slowly seeping into Einala's body.

The wraith stiffened all over.

She whirled her head, fixing Luo De with a look of terror and venom.

"."

Grudges have a source, debts have an owner.

She killed you. She betrayed you. Why glare at me?

Before Luo De could even sneer a reply,

The wraith's body began to crumble, dissolving swiftly into the air.

"My apologies. The magical network has changed drastically today—my spells aren't flowing smoothly. This body may perish because of it. Any issues, Mr. Luo De?"

The summoned Hero Candidate asked politely.

Luo De gestured for her to proceed.

"I hope we never meet again."

She paused, then smiled: "I hope so too."

With that,

Blood spurted from all seven orifices of the condemned prisoner's body; she collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

Luo De walked slowly closer and kicked her.

"Sharon, if only the vessel remains, can you trace the summoner's location?"

"Too late. From the start, she never intended to be found. She likely already prepared a ritual to erase all traces."

"Then forget it."

"Do you want to fight the Hero Candidates and the half-deer?"

"It's not whether I want to—it's that these people carry too much fate. They're naturally drawn to places thick with destiny. And isn't the Windwall Forest, Shi Ying Town, even the entire Twilight Hills, exactly such a place?"

(End of Chapter)