[{"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-1293":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},1533104,1991,"Chapter 1293: Divine Game: Graveyard of Bones 15","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1293",1293,"\u003Cp>Nivalis couldn’t shake the feeling that what Rita was doing right now went against everything she usually stood for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in Quiet Mountain, even when it came to trading information, Rita had refused to tell Cinders anything about QM Mistblade’s diary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now... she was about to trade Deceitful Bloom’s answer for a location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because that information was just that important?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Rita had already said she didn’t trust Byme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because the answer wasn’t private, and people like Cicada and Maple Syrup already knew it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That didn’t feel right either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Card Swap ended, both she and B80 had spent a long time digging into the story behind the title Moon Postman. They had become deeply curious about Lightchaser’s past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter how much they asked, Rita only talked about her own experiences with the elves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would mention the Lightchaser moment. She would talk about how she had wanted to recreate it in Binast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she never once said why Lightchaser had failed back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She avoided other people’s heartbreak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet now... she was making an exception for Deceitful Bloom and Byme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she didn’t care about Deceitful Bloom, maybe it would make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was clearly not the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one understood better than Nivalis how much emotion Rita had just suppressed beneath that calm surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the window, the cold fog thickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already 10:21. Less than two minutes remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita was still sitting on the desk, going back and forth with Byme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Nivalis, it just looked like nonstop provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even that line, \"If you lie, something will happen to Deceitful Bloom tomorrow,\" had been aimed straight at Byme’s weak spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had deliberately touched a nerve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet Byme had taken it calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she wanted that answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita said, \"Take me back to the study first. Give me the information. Then I’ll tell you her answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought once you said this timeline shines because of you, you stopped worrying about me attacking you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme let out a soft scoff, unable to resist striking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light in the room shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was still the same study, but something about it felt different now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as she mocked Rita, Byme moved quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s called King. From 3:10:38 to 3:15:19. It appears in the northwest rainforest of Graveyard of Bones, and the northern grasslands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She spoke fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was running out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita asked, \"AM or PM?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme shot her a long look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"AM. It only appears at night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did she finally slide off the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unhurried, she said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t ask for the answer first because I was afraid you’d go back on your word.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was afraid that once you heard it... you wouldn’t care about answering my questions anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme frowned slightly, then smoothed it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that brief moment, countless possibilities ran through her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vineborne?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beacon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom herself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or something abstract like Starsea, or honor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Deceitful Bloom wouldn’t fall easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she still wanted to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After losing everything... what kept her going?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She admired Deceitful Bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She worshiped her like a god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She needed that answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be something extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something worthy of Deceitful Bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita watched the light in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that... was exactly the punishment she intended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme was smart. She had seen through Rita’s intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Byme hadn’t allowed it, Rita would have forced the truth out anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Byme had refused to give her the location, she still would have told her the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second hand ticked forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it crossed twelve, Rita spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since you’ve known Deceitful Bloom... have you ever seen her cry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme’s eyes widened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at Rita, almost dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We met when we were fifteen. She has never cried.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She wouldn’t cry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s lips curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a sharp, almost cruel smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She fights for what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She said nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because she didn’t know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She couldn’t answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita’s voice was steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I only saw a single tear fall onto the clock arena.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was her answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final second ticked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita spoke clearly, one word at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beacon Byme.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold fog surged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swallowed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme’s stunned expression vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vineborne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita and Nivalis stood once more in the cold, empty study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are being watched... You are being watched... You are being watched...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita was still breathing a little unevenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nivalis hadn’t seen her this angry in a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath that anger... there was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sense of release.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A kind of vengeance fulfilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t help but ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why is that answer a punishment?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And... why did you tell her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitated, then added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I mean... were you trying to make her think Deceitful Bloom was in pain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But after hearing it... I just feel like Deceitful Bloom is incredible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita stared at the empty chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because different people see different things in that answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As rare and precious as the dew born from a Flower of Deceit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To us,\" she said quietly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means that even when she had no answer... she still chose to keep going.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How much strength does it take... to keep moving forward when you know you’ll never reach shore?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Byme...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had turned Deceitful Bloom into something untouchable, something perfect...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All she would see...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that single moment of weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a flawless flower losing a single petal to the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shouldn’t have happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom shouldn’t cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It shouldn’t be something so ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byme believed pain could \"save\" her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the one least capable of facing that pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment Rita understood the truth...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had already decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to punish her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to repay her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Call it meddling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Call it settling a debt for what Deceitful Bloom had once done for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was going to do it anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had considered many methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even leaving this place, finding other players, and feeding Byme false hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Telling her their timeline was about to be erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment Byme asked for that answer...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the best punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing could hurt more than that truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should Byme spend eternity in ignorance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What right did she have to pretend she didn’t know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What right did she have to hide inside a false memory?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What right did she have to escape that feast of pain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceitful Bloom, the one who bore the consequences, could only stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had even helped Byme preserve that illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only that one line hidden within the Deceitful Bloom skill...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had revealed her grief and anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Rita owed them nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would do whatever she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1148,"2026-06-06T06:15:32.213Z",1,"novelbin.me","7ffe1b55ebab5c84e26ae57d448155af4a87582a19d12f0063119ca1626cb121","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1294","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-1292",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]