[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist":3,"chapter-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1291":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1533102,1991,"Chapter 1291: Divine Game: Graveyard of Bones 13","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1291",1291,"\u003Cp>The black quicksand suddenly dispersed, breaking apart like a thin veil drifting down through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita stood before the desk, meeting Byme’s cold gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning, Byme smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still gentle. Still beautiful. Like every Vineborne, her smile seemed to carry a faint fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light from the wall lamps fell across her face. There was no shadow, no trace of darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked exactly as she had yesterday, sitting here, smiling as she said, \"So, a Vineborne.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That does sound... like something I would do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile was almost innocent. Like someone admiring a completed masterpiece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a hint of annoyance, she added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder she never came to see me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no confusion left in her eyes. No hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita, however, felt something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if Byme had been waiting for this moment all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who altered this memory?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it Deceitful Bloom?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or Byme?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or both of them, silently agreeing to reshape it together?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she knew this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme was done pretending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just didn’t want to be the one to tear everything open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waited for someone meddlesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waited for someone who understood the Vineborne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waited for someone who knew Deceitful Bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who would push that door open with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Byme have figured this out on her own?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew far more than Rita did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Deceitful Bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew everything before the third bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she had forgotten how her divine talent reached completion, she could still see its name, its effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those had to be tied to what happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had completed something unprecedented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pruning unlike any other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had cultivated the most brilliant Flower of Deceit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colors of the castle walls, and of the Vineborne before her, grew more vivid. More real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does your divine talent... have something to do with cultivation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"’Pruning.’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme gave the answer freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed to be in an excellent mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve already uncovered the truth. So what’s the last piece you want from me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you regained your memories?\" Rita asked instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What she left behind could only alter parts of the story,\" Byme replied simply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the forgetting had been her own doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now that the truth was exposed, she no longer cared to maintain the lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you and Deceitful Bloom rewrote this time together?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita thought back to the alternate version of events. The false path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pressed her lips together, holding back judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still things she didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to know how fast the bell came,\" she said. \"Was it so fast that she couldn’t even transfer a portion of the Vineborne?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had planned to invade Tingo, they must have had enough invasion sequences prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Deceitful Bloom returned and found that Byme had not acted, even if time was already running out...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would not collapse into despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita knew exactly what she would have done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would not waste time confronting Byme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would immediately pick another world, initiate an invasion, and use the dungeon system to transfer as many Vineborne as possible before the bell struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what, it should not have ended with only Deceitful Bloom remaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So either there was no time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or you did something else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, then said with certainty,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must have. Even if you were willing to gamble the lives of all Vineborne, betting that her suffering would make her brilliant...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You would never gamble her life. Not on the hope that Starsea would spare her just because of her power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme was a gambler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even gamblers had limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things were never meant to be wagered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not assume she accepted it?\" Byme asked lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head, as if genuinely confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your dragon is right. You trust her too, don’t you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t trust her,\" Rita said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She ignored the strange look Nivalis shot her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If she doesn’t suffer, she gets pruned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stories shine because they are complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Timelines shine because of burning soul fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If she had accepted that plan... she wouldn’t be who she is now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lingering killing intent in the air vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked almost delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why she’s worthy, isn’t she?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice rose, filled with conviction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Without her, the Vineborne would no longer be Vineborne. Without her, we would have died in the wars long ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So why shouldn’t I have done it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waited for Byme to finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waited for the answer she needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme’s voice softened as she sank into memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I used the Midsummer Celestialkin as leverage. I threatened Midsummer and signed a contract with it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After transferring the Celestialkin through an invasion, I gathered all players in Midsummer and initiated an Adjudicator vote.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wanted to become Midsummer’s Adjudicator. Only an Adjudicator can appoint or remove leaders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Every time I failed, I pruned everyone who opposed me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The vote was anonymous. But my divine talent let me see which lives were vines that should be discarded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I became Midsummer’s Adjudicator before she returned from Graveyard of Bones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On the final day, I stripped her of her position as leader.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I removed every anchor she had to Midsummer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had Starsea assign her a new world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When she finished the game, she would be sent there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Starsea was happy to comply. Everything followed the rules. Everything was perfectly valid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a quiet sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was the first time I saw her lose control in the chat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For her entire life... she had never looked like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence filled the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita couldn’t imagine that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn’t picture Deceitful Bloom like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she didn’t know how to look at the Vineborne before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After figuring out part of the truth, I thought...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought she was trying to fix her regrets inside your memory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you were trying to hide your mistake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme didn’t react to the word mistake at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She believed she was right. Completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No judgment mattered to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even Deceitful Bloom’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sounds like there’s a twist coming,\" she said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita looked straight at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to know one thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ability that let you see other timelines... the one that showed you how events unfolded elsewhere...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice lowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it yours?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or Deceitful Bloom’s?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme answered without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she gave a faint, crooked smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What new conclusion did you reach?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita held her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this memory...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was quiet, but certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The one trying to prune away the truth... wasn’t you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1152,"2026-06-06T06:15:32.213Z",1,"novelbin.me","aa5466c7b4e240eb4b72b2de7830f93e5288b93942923746f189ec51140746dd","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1292","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1290",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]