Chapter 3.4
"You are always so stubborn, trying to shoulder everything on your own. We are companions ah..." Supporting the tottering Sui Yuan with an arm around his waist, Osmund’s free hand presses gently against the wound on his shoulder. Silver rays of light surround the ugly-looking gash, rapidly staunching the blood-flow and knitting the flesh back together, leaving no trace of an injury behind on that pale skin. Colour returns to the elf’s ashen face immediately after the wound heals.
The breath Sui Yuan has been holding until now rushes out in a big exhale. No matter how many times he experiences it, he simply cannot be accustomed to pain. Immediately following Osmund’s hand dropping away from his shoulder, he says, "I have yet to acknowledge you as a companion."
Osmund merely chuckles indulgingly. "You are right, I was the only who insisted on coming along. Allowing me to treat your wounds is already rather gracious of you."
Sui Yuan: "......"
Aurora: "Requesting! Healing! Over! Here! Please stop being so lovey-dovey over there and look at me! Look at me ah! I’m nearly dead!! QAQ"
Hearing the female lead’s miserable howls, a flash of impatience flashes through Osmund’s eyes. In the end, he pulls away from Sui Yuan and waves his sceptre in Aurora’s direction as the elf buries his face in his hands, feeling helplessness grow in his heart.
As the silver light wraps around her, the female lead, who is nearly sobbing from being relentlessly chased by a demonic beast, eventually recuperates. Strength surging through her limbs once more, she springs high into the air, executing a perfect backward somersault. The longsword in her hands slices down to skewer the beast’s head, putting an end to this short skirmish.
Panting heavily as she lands on the balls of her feet, Aurora wipes the sweat on her brow before delivering a vicious kick to the dead beast’s side. Pouting somewhat grudgingly, she complains, "Osmund, you are too biased! When Nardred sustains even a small cut, you dote over him so much, but when I am being chased half to death by a monster, you don’t even pay any attention! Don’t treat your companions so differently ah!"
"My apologies. At times, I am unable to split my attention two ways. As soon as I see Nardred injured, everything else fades away," Osmund explains with a soft smile. Because his character is meant to be someone who treats everyone equally favourably, he tags on another insincere line. "Fortunately, you did not sustain any serious injuries. I will definitely pay more attention to you next time."
Aurora waves his words away with a roll of her eyes. She simply said it for the sake of complaining. Anyone with an eye can see how tenderly Osmund treats Nardred. It would be difficult for the former to pay any attention to others as long as the elf is here. Although she does harbour a small crush on Osmund, she is still a tactful person and hence buries it deep in her heart, enviously looking on as Nardred receives his affections and care.
Nevertheless, butting heads with a teammate due to a one-sided love is something only fools will do. Comrades with high abilities are also hard to find, so Aurora treasures Osmund and Nardred very much, valuing their skills over her crush.
...Moreover, who asked her to be an intruder insisting on following them halfway through? Being isolated is unexpected, but Aurora believes that as long they interact with each other long enough, she will definitely be able to make the two of them accept her presence wholeheartedly.
Inwardly clenching her fists determinedly, Aurora walks towards Nardred, bright eyes watching him attentively as she cheerfully proposes, "Nardred, let me teach you swordsmanship!"
Sui Yuan blinks, tilting his head at Aurora and staring with his usual blank expression. However, his eyes unconsciously soften as they land on the female lead. Since he has already missed the first opportunity to establish a foundation with the female lead, then in order for the story to continue, he has to seize more opportunities to allow his character to develop feelings for Aurora. What makes him want to break down in tears, however, is that bastard Zhao Xihe is always impeding his progress!
"You didn’t learn swordsmanship through proper training, am I right?" It is more a statement than a question. "I can tell just by the way you fight. You rely more on your fast reflexes and elven physical abilities to carry you through a battle. If you learn these skills the proper way and add on your natural-born abilities, you will definitely be an amazing swordsman!"
A flash of something flits through Nardred’s eyes, as though he has been semi-persuaded.
"How about it?" Seeing the hesitation, Aurora presses him excitedly, making a supreme effort to deepen the friendship between herself and her companions. "I will definitely help you to become a remarkable swordsman! Not as great as me, of course."
Sui Yuan can’t help the corners of his lips curling upwards, displaying a small smile. "All right, I will learn from you. But I want to be an assassin, not a swordsman."
A faint, radiant smile softening the harsh lines of his face transforms the elf’s gloomy aura to a more childish one. Members of the elvish race are all nature-born beauties, favoured by the Gods like the Heavenly race is. Although Nardred has lived a hard life and appears somewhat malnourished, it doesn’t decrease his attractiveness one bit. Instead, it causes pity to rise in people’s hearts when they gaze upon his frail body.
Here, Aurora feels regret and grief. Compared with her healthy, strong, and sturdy build resulting from good food and training since young, Nardred is obviously weaker. Hence, the fact that Osmund gives more attention to him isn’t something incomprehensible. Just looking at the criss-crossing scars lining his visible skin when he changes is enough to make her heart ache. On a subconscious level, she is also developing protective feelings for this elf.
"Then, it’s a promise!" Aurora grins brightly, patting Nardred’s shoulder with one hand while tapping her chest with a fist. "If you want to be an assassin, then an assassin you shall be! Leave it to me!"
Standing a couple of paces away from the two interacting cheerfully, Osmund has a gentle smile on his face, appearing rather kind and mild. However, one can see a trace of darkness in his azure eyes upon closer inspection.
System 5237, who has been keeping a close eye on Zhao Xihe shivers violently. Silently, it lights a candle for the female lead Aurora, who is still obliviously chatting away with its partner.
- I wish you safe journeys and protection from a certain man. Amen.
Aurora is extremely stern when she teaches Sui Yuan swordsmanship. Thanks to Sui Yuan’s inborn physical superiority as an elf and his inhuman ability to absorb new knowledge quickly, he progresses at lightning speed. Upon seeing this, the self-proclaimed teacher becomes extremely exhilarated, wishing to impart everything she learned in her entire life to Sui Yuan.
Along with Sui Yuan’s ability gradually becoming more formidable, he goes from coming out of skirmishes bruised and battered, to being able to deal with large demonic beasts easily. At long last, one can say he has the skills to stand in this world alone without worries.
Either way, Sui Yuan really wishes he can interview Aurora in the future - after he swallows the source of darkness and takes his place as the villain BOSS - how it feels to have personally cultivated her enemy...
Under the male and female lead’s protection, Sui Yuan’s originally hard and bitter journey becomes more of a sightseeing tour where occasionally, beasts try to devour you and bandits attempt to murder you in your sleep. According to the original plot, the villain Nardred should have been caught by a slaver and sold as a slave, spurned by noble races, trampled on, tortured by the light elf tribe, and so on. However, all that is substituted by random tasks that arise from the leads’ natural disposition in helping others in need, like: helping an ill grandmother collect herbs, dealing with a dangerous demonic beast and saving the village, assisting townsfolk to revolt against a tyrannical lord, etc.
He can only inwardly choke on the fact that someone who is meant to be blackened after being subjected to inhumane and unjust treatments is now experiencing a rapid rise in morality during this journey.
In this way, doing a good deed here and there the entire time, the party of three eventually arrives at Obsidian City, a fringe city bordering the forbidden dark lands. Upon stepping through the gates, they receive a warm welcome, with the city lord leading the reception.
The lord for Obsidian City is the beautiful and alluring Sansa, and can be counted as the captain of Osmund’s fan club. In the story, she is Aurora’s major love rival. Originally, she should appear in the later stages of the plot when Nardred succeeds in kidnapping Aurora, and Osmund chases the villain all the way to Obsidian City, where Sansa assists him greatly. Now that Osmund appears before the scheduled time, she naturally enters the scene at an earlier time too.
City lord Sansa’s heart thuds erratically as she lay eyes on Osmund, greeting him with enchanting grace. "We welcome you to Obsidian City, Lord Osmund."
Smilingly telling her she doesn’t need to be so polite in his presence causes the city lord to raise her head, eyes overflowing with emotions, staring deeply at Osmund for three whole seconds. Receiving no reaction, she eventually moves over to his side reluctantly and bumps into Aurora, who is busy taking in her surroundings with wide eyes.
Maybe it is the mysterious force of the author’s writing, or perhaps it is a female’s natural intuition when faced with another love rival - moreover, Aurora is a beauty - the city lord conceals hostility beneath a stiff smile, already objecting her presence. "This young lady is...?"
"Aurora. A companion whom I am travelling together with," Osmund introduces.
The city lord greets her politely. No matter how resentful she is in her heart, Sansa is not so foolish as to expose it before Osmund. Overwhelmed by a socially superior woman showing her grace, Aurora clumsily returns the greeting. Evidently, she is not familiar with etiquettes of nobles, causing contempt to surface in Sansa’s eyes.
"Miss Aurora is unexpectedly able to be His Holiness’ companion on a journey. Indeed, many will be endlessly envious of your good fortune." The city lord elegantly sweeps an arm out to invite them to accompany her into her residence, then sighs in sadness. "If I wasn’t weighed down by my duties as lord of this city, I would definitely follow His Holiness wherever he goes."
Falling into step with the city lord, Aurora blinks ignorantly. "His Holiness?"
"That’s right. Don’t tell me you were unaware of his identity?" Sansa is a little astonished. "Lord Osmund is the Holy Son of the Heavenly race!"
Aurora’s jaw drops, whipping her head around to stare at the still blandly smiling Osmund. It takes a good long while for her mouth to work again. She assumed the man was simply another outstanding member of the Heavenly race, but never would she imagine he is the Holy Son. Speaking of which, why would someone with such a noble status be so amiable and approachable?
The corners of Sansa’s lips curl in smugness as soon as she sees the dumbstruck expression on Aurora’s face. In her heart, she thinks this lowly woman should be intimidated and keep her distance from Osmund now that his true identity is known. Feeling satisfied from one-upping her love rival, the city lord turns to address Osmund, "Your Holiness, in order to welcome you properly, I specifically prepared a banquet. I hope you would do us the honour of participating."
Osmund inclines his head slowly. "To refuse would be impolite."
As for Sui Yuan...un, in this short period of time, he has become invisible.
5237: "Truly gratifying ah! As expected of the female lead’s halo. Easily dragging the love rival’s hatred at first glance! I’m so moved that I can cry!"
Sui Yuan: "...Your expectations are lower and lower..."
5237: "...Don’t say things like that so easily as though it has nothing to do with you! Whose fault is it?! Idiot!!"
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