Chapter 581
Chapter 581: THE HEAVY PRICE
THAT NIGHT, Nikolai received some good and bad news.
The good news was Mona and Nero returned safely.
Right now, his family gathered in the bedroom that he and Mona shared.
“Dahlia was kidnapped?” Nikolai asked. “By the crows?”
That was the bad news.
“That’s right,” Mona said solemnly. “Callisto de Luca possessed Calyx Dalton’s body. I fought him but unfortunately, they escaped.”
“It’s alright,” he said, comforting Mona right away. “We’ll just have to find them again. You said you attached your Rose Petal to those bastards. It’s only a matter of time before we find them.”
.....
“Mother, Father, I’ll lead Miss Dahlia’s rescue operation,” Nero declared boldly. “As soon as Mother locates those crazy bastards, I’ll head straight to them.”
“Are you crazy?” Nikolai asked his son sternly. “You’re the Crown Prince of the empire. Do you think I will allow you to head straight to the enemy base?”
“But Father-”
“No, I won’t let you do what you want this time,” he said firmly. “I understand that you want to save Dahlia yourself. But that’s not the job of the Crown Prince. I will order my Paladins to rescue Dahlia when the time comes.”
“Father!”
Nikolai was surprised when his son raised his voice at him since it was the first time that he yelled at him.
Nero always talked back to him. His son even threatened to kill him and steal the throne from him in the past. But this was the first time that Nero raised his voice. Moreover, his son’s eyes turned glowing red in a threatening matter.
“Nero,” Mona scolded Nero sternly. “Don’t raise your voice at your father when he’s only concerned about you. Moreover, as the Crown Prince of the empire, you’re not tied to one person only.”
“But Mother,” Nero protested. “I want to save Dahlia myself. I can’t trust other people to rescue her.”
“Baby, your father and I understand what you feel,” Mona said softly. “But going straight to the enemy’s base is too dangerous. We won’t concede this time.”
“Mother...”
“And have you forgotten that we’re here to talk about what might have happened to Neoma?” Mona reminded their son firmly. “Are you sure you want to head to the enemy’s base when your twin sister might be in danger?”
That seemed to knock some sense into their son’s head.
Nero finally looked calm.
In the end, Neoma was the most important person in their son’s life.
[Mona really knows how to handle our children’s temperament.]
Nikolai immediately pulled out the pendant dangling on his necklace.
It was the communication device that Paige Avery made for him. However, instead of direct communication, the pendant was just a receiver of the voice message sent from the other line.
In this case, the message sounded like Paige Avery’s voice.
He was surprised to hear that.
Mona and Nero also looked shocked.
[Purifying Darkness with that scale is almost next to impossible.]
The White Lion suddenly appeared and listened to the voice message.
Mona and Nero brought the White Lion with them after they rescued the Elemental Guardian from Calyx Dalton.
He clenched his hands from nervousness.
[If Neoma can’t give me a report yet, it only means my daughter is unconscious. But since her “children” could send me a voice message, then it’s safe to assume that Neoma is fine.]
He knitted his eyebrows. “A sorcerer?”
“It’s a rare existence,” Mona said, surprised. “I haven’t met a sorcerer in my life yet.”
Nikolai pinched the bridge of his nose. “Those unethical bastards...”
Mona and Nero looked disgusted, as well.
Nikolai’s eyes widened in shock. “Neoma lost?”
Even Mona and Nero looked like they couldn’t believe the news.
[Is that why Neoma lost her Soul Beast and Spirits?]
Nikolai, Mona, and Nero reacted at the same time. “A baby?!”
***
“IF OUR Neoma has turned into a baby, then it explains why she lost her Soul Beast and her Spirits,” Mona said worriedly. “She didn’t lose her Moonglow and Roseheart Blood because she was born with them. However, she must be defenseless while she’s in that state. Thank goodness her “children” are reliable.”
“Even so, Neoma is in a vulnerable state right now,” Nikolai said worriedly. “Should I ask the Royal Archmage to fetch Neoma from the East Continent? The Royal Archmage is known for her ability to create long-distance teleportation spells.”
“But we can’t truly fully trust the Royal Archmage, Father,” Nero said. “I heard that the Royal Archmage was a close confidant of Lady Sloane in the past. Remember the last part of Paige Avery’s voice message?”
“Our son is right, Nikolai. Even though we want to trust Juliet, we can’t dismiss Paige’s warning. Neoma must have found something,” Mona said, then she fell silent for a moment. “William can create a long-distance teleportation spell, too. And we can trust him.”
Nikolai frowned, but he didn’t protest.
Nero, on the other hand, let out a sigh. “It’s a good thing that William followed us here.”
“I’ll summon William then,” Mona said firmly. “I’ll ask him to bring Neoma back to us safely.”
***
“I’M A WHAT?”
“A weakling,” Neoma answered William’s question with a lovely smile on her face. “I know having a teleportation skill is already amazing. But for a Grand Spirit like my master, it’s pretty disappointing that you can only bring me with you.”
Of course, she was only provoking William on purpose.
She was aware that it wasn’t easy to teleport from the East Continent to the West Continent. But she couldn’t leave alone. She must at least bring Baby Empress Juliet and Greko with her.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” William said while looking at her with a blank look on his face. “I can’t bring everyone with us since the bigger the group, the riskier it gets when it comes to using a long-distance teleportation spell. But since you’re acting this way, I suppose there’s an important person you want to bring along.”
“There are actually two people,” she corrected him. “One is Greko.”
“Your youngest “son?””
“That’s right,” she said. “The other one I want to bring with us is a baby.”
“A baby?” the Grand Spirit asked, knitting his eyebrows. “I don’t recommend bringing a baby with us. As I said earlier, using a long-distance teleportation spell is dangerous.”
“I know that, but the baby I’m talking about is a special one.”
William raised an eyebrow. “How special?”
“You’ll know when you see her,” Neoma said, then she raised her arms. “William, I’m giving you the honor of carrying me in your arms.”
“Excuse me?”
***
“MASTER, you’re going to be a horrible father,” Neoma complained. “Is this how you’re supposed to hold a baby?”
William wasn’t holding her.
She was sitting on a giant leaf that worked like the magic/flying carpet. Moreover, she could feel the wind hugging her like a seatbelt. Hence, she felt safe.
“Shut up,” William snarled at her. “You’re so tiny, I’m afraid I’ll accidentally crush you.”
“Gosh, you should really work on your temper, Master.”
“I only run out of patience when I’m dealing with you.”
“That’s discrimination.”
“Please,” William said through gritted teeth. “I want to walk to the next room in absolute silence.”
[What an eloquent way of saying “shut the fuck up.”]
She acted like she was zipping her mouth.
But, of course, her silence only lasted for thirty seconds. After all, it was her joy to see William annoyed as hell.
“There!” Neoma said in a very loud baby voice while pointing at the room where Baby Empress Juliet was staying. “The baby girl is there!”
As expected, William let out an annoyed sigh before he snapped his fingers.
Then they entered the room.
Greko stood up from his seat and greeted them politely.
.....
On the other hand, Baby Empress Juliet was seated on the bed- her back straight even though it was obvious she was struggling to maintain that posture because of her current body. Her Majesty’s expression was solemn as she rarely smiled.
[Even in her baby form, Empress Juliet looks so dignified from head to toe.]
“Who is that child?” William asked curiously. “Why is she filled with divine energy?”
“Be polite, Master,” Neoma said in a serious tone. “You’re looking at the reincarnation of the REAL Empress Juliet.”
The Grand Spirit looked shocked at first.
But he probably realized that Neoma may be a scammer, but she would never use Empress Juliet’s name in vain.
[Plus, he’s a Grand Spirit, so he can probably tell if the soul is old or not.]
Anyway, she didn’t expect the Grand Spirit to kneel and bow in front of the former empress.
[Huh? What’s happening?]
“It’s an honor to meet you again, Empress Juliet,” William said in a polite tone that he would only use with Mama Boss. “I, William the Grand Spirit, greet the savior who sacrificed her life to save the Soul Beasts in the past.”
Ah, right.
Something like that happened.
“You may rise now,” Empress Juliet said in a firm voice. Her voice sounded like a baby voice, of course. But the way the former empress talked was commanding- something that suited her well. “It’s been a while, William. Are you still bothering Mona even now?”
Neoma stifled her laughter when the Grand Spirit flinched.
[Now I know why many people loved and respected Empress Juliet.]
***
RUTO couldn’t remember Neoma’s face.
All his memories with her were clear except for one thing: Neoma’s face was covered with a black smoke in every image in his head.
There was also the strange feeling in his chest that he lost something important.
It wasn’t hard to guess what it was.
“My fondness for Neoma’s beauty,” Ruto whispered to himself. “It disappeared.”
He was sad that he could no longer remember Neoma’s face, but he was used to it.
In his first life, he didn’t see Neoma’s face until the latter part of her life- the moment when she became powerful. After all, he couldn’t see the faces of weak humans.
Moreover, Neoma’s physical appearance didn’t matter that much to him.
[Don’t get me wrong. Neoma is the most beautiful girl in my eyes- now and then. However, my feelings for her won’t change just because I can’t remember her face anymore.]
He was glad that the first thing the Ancient Devil ate was his admiration for Neoma’s beauty. Since it was only a small reason why he fell in love with her, it wouldn’t affect him that much even if she couldn’t appreciate her face the way he did before.
The price that he had to pay for turning back time was indeed hefty.
Fortunately, he could pay it little by little.
However, he must hurry.
[There’s still time. I must pave the way to Neoma’s success in this lifetime before the Ancient Devil eats my strong emotions for her.]
“I have to return to the human world,” Ruto said firmly. “For Neoma.”
Always for his Neoma.
“Must you really return to the human world?”
Ruto looked at his father coldly. “Are you going to stop me?”
“My original plan was to lock you up here,” Levi said, then he approached him and put a hand on the burn mark on his face. “However, I changed my mind.”
He knitted his eyebrows. “And what made you change your mind, my lord?”
“You’re pitiful,” his divine father said casually. “I didn’t know the price you have to pay for making a deal with the Ancient Devil was this heavy. It pains me to see that bastard eat your emotions, but I can’t do anything to help you.”
“I am not asking for your help, my lord.”
Levi just smiled, his hand on Ruto’s face getting warm.
Ah.
That was when he realized what his divine father was doing.
[My lord is erasing the burn mark on my face.]
Only the God Among Gods could do that.
“I’ll let you go for now, Yoan,” Levi said, pulling his hand away from Ruto’s face. “After all, I know you’ll return to my side as an obedient son once you lose all your feelings for Neoma de Moonasterio.”
It was a cruel thing to hear from his divine father, but he couldn’t refute it.
After all, Ruto knew that Levi was correct.
[When I’m done paying the full price, I’ll probably become an empty vessel that Lord Levi can easily control.]
***
THAT NIGHT, Nikolai received some good and bad news.
The good news was Mona and Nero returned safely.
Right now, his family gathered in the bedroom that he and Mona shared.
“Dahlia was kidnapped?” Nikolai asked. “By the crows?”
That was the bad news.
“That’s right,” Mona said solemnly. “Callisto de Luca possessed Calyx Dalton’s body. I fought him but unfortunately, they escaped.”
“It’s alright,” he said, comforting Mona right away. “We’ll just have to find them again. You said you attached your Rose Petal to those bastards. It’s only a matter of time before we find them.”
.....
“Mother, Father, I’ll lead Miss Dahlia’s rescue operation,” Nero declared boldly. “As soon as Mother locates those crazy bastards, I’ll head straight to them.”
“Are you crazy?” Nikolai asked his son sternly. “You’re the Crown Prince of the empire. Do you think I will allow you to head straight to the enemy base?”
“But Father-”
“No, I won’t let you do what you want this time,” he said firmly. “I understand that you want to save Dahlia yourself. But that’s not the job of the Crown Prince. I will order my Paladins to rescue Dahlia when the time comes.”
“Father!”
Nikolai was surprised when his son raised his voice at him since it was the first time that he yelled at him.
Nero always talked back to him. His son even threatened to kill him and steal the throne from him in the past. But this was the first time that Nero raised his voice. Moreover, his son’s eyes turned glowing red in a threatening matter.
“Nero,” Mona scolded Nero sternly. “Don’t raise your voice at your father when he’s only concerned about you. Moreover, as the Crown Prince of the empire, you’re not tied to one person only.”
“But Mother,” Nero protested. “I want to save Dahlia myself. I can’t trust other people to rescue her.”
“Baby, your father and I understand what you feel,” Mona said softly. “But going straight to the enemy’s base is too dangerous. We won’t concede this time.”
“Mother...”
“And have you forgotten that we’re here to talk about what might have happened to Neoma?” Mona reminded their son firmly. “Are you sure you want to head to the enemy’s base when your twin sister might be in danger?”
That seemed to knock some sense into their son’s head.
Nero finally looked calm.
In the end, Neoma was the most important person in their son’s life.
[Mona really knows how to handle our children’s temperament.]
Nikolai immediately pulled out the pendant dangling on his necklace.
It was the communication device that Paige Avery made for him. However, instead of direct communication, the pendant was just a receiver of the voice message sent from the other line.
In this case, the message sounded like Paige Avery’s voice.
He was surprised to hear that.
Mona and Nero also looked shocked.
[Purifying Darkness with that scale is almost next to impossible.]
The White Lion suddenly appeared and listened to the voice message.
Mona and Nero brought the White Lion with them after they rescued the Elemental Guardian from Calyx Dalton.
He clenched his hands from nervousness.
[If Neoma can’t give me a report yet, it only means my daughter is unconscious. But since her “children” could send me a voice message, then it’s safe to assume that Neoma is fine.]
He knitted his eyebrows. “A sorcerer?”
“It’s a rare existence,” Mona said, surprised. “I haven’t met a sorcerer in my life yet.”
Nikolai pinched the bridge of his nose. “Those unethical bastards...”
Mona and Nero looked disgusted, as well.
Nikolai’s eyes widened in shock. “Neoma lost?”
Even Mona and Nero looked like they couldn’t believe the news.
[Is that why Neoma lost her Soul Beast and Spirits?]
Nikolai, Mona, and Nero reacted at the same time. “A baby?!”
***
“IF OUR Neoma has turned into a baby, then it explains why she lost her Soul Beast and her Spirits,” Mona said worriedly. “She didn’t lose her Moonglow and Roseheart Blood because she was born with them. However, she must be defenseless while she’s in that state. Thank goodness her “children” are reliable.”
“Even so, Neoma is in a vulnerable state right now,” Nikolai said worriedly. “Should I ask the Royal Archmage to fetch Neoma from the East Continent? The Royal Archmage is known for her ability to create long-distance teleportation spells.”
“But we can’t truly fully trust the Royal Archmage, Father,” Nero said. “I heard that the Royal Archmage was a close confidant of Lady Sloane in the past. Remember the last part of Paige Avery’s voice message?”
“Our son is right, Nikolai. Even though we want to trust Juliet, we can’t dismiss Paige’s warning. Neoma must have found something,” Mona said, then she fell silent for a moment. “William can create a long-distance teleportation spell, too. And we can trust him.”
Nikolai frowned, but he didn’t protest.
Nero, on the other hand, let out a sigh. “It’s a good thing that William followed us here.”
“I’ll summon William then,” Mona said firmly. “I’ll ask him to bring Neoma back to us safely.”
***
“I’M A WHAT?”
“A weakling,” Neoma answered William’s question with a lovely smile on her face. “I know having a teleportation skill is already amazing. But for a Grand Spirit like my master, it’s pretty disappointing that you can only bring me with you.”
Of course, she was only provoking William on purpose.
She was aware that it wasn’t easy to teleport from the East Continent to the West Continent. But she couldn’t leave alone. She must at least bring Baby Empress Juliet and Greko with her.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” William said while looking at her with a blank look on his face. “I can’t bring everyone with us since the bigger the group, the riskier it gets when it comes to using a long-distance teleportation spell. But since you’re acting this way, I suppose there’s an important person you want to bring along.”
“There are actually two people,” she corrected him. “One is Greko.”
“Your youngest “son?””
“That’s right,” she said. “The other one I want to bring with us is a baby.”
“A baby?” the Grand Spirit asked, knitting his eyebrows. “I don’t recommend bringing a baby with us. As I said earlier, using a long-distance teleportation spell is dangerous.”
“I know that, but the baby I’m talking about is a special one.”
William raised an eyebrow. “How special?”
“You’ll know when you see her,” Neoma said, then she raised her arms. “William, I’m giving you the honor of carrying me in your arms.”
“Excuse me?”
***
“MASTER, you’re going to be a horrible father,” Neoma complained. “Is this how you’re supposed to hold a baby?”
William wasn’t holding her.
She was sitting on a giant leaf that worked like the magic/flying carpet. Moreover, she could feel the wind hugging her like a seatbelt. Hence, she felt safe.
“Shut up,” William snarled at her. “You’re so tiny, I’m afraid I’ll accidentally crush you.”
“Gosh, you should really work on your temper, Master.”
“I only run out of patience when I’m dealing with you.”
“That’s discrimination.”
“Please,” William said through gritted teeth. “I want to walk to the next room in absolute silence.”
[What an eloquent way of saying “shut the fuck up.”]
She acted like she was zipping her mouth.
But, of course, her silence only lasted for thirty seconds. After all, it was her joy to see William annoyed as hell.
“There!” Neoma said in a very loud baby voice while pointing at the room where Baby Empress Juliet was staying. “The baby girl is there!”
As expected, William let out an annoyed sigh before he snapped his fingers.
Then they entered the room.
Greko stood up from his seat and greeted them politely.
.....
On the other hand, Baby Empress Juliet was seated on the bed- her back straight even though it was obvious she was struggling to maintain that posture because of her current body. Her Majesty’s expression was solemn as she rarely smiled.
[Even in her baby form, Empress Juliet looks so dignified from head to toe.]
“Who is that child?” William asked curiously. “Why is she filled with divine energy?”
“Be polite, Master,” Neoma said in a serious tone. “You’re looking at the reincarnation of the REAL Empress Juliet.”
The Grand Spirit looked shocked at first.
But he probably realized that Neoma may be a scammer, but she would never use Empress Juliet’s name in vain.
[Plus, he’s a Grand Spirit, so he can probably tell if the soul is old or not.]
Anyway, she didn’t expect the Grand Spirit to kneel and bow in front of the former empress.
[Huh? What’s happening?]
“It’s an honor to meet you again, Empress Juliet,” William said in a polite tone that he would only use with Mama Boss. “I, William the Grand Spirit, greet the savior who sacrificed her life to save the Soul Beasts in the past.”
Ah, right.
Something like that happened.
“You may rise now,” Empress Juliet said in a firm voice. Her voice sounded like a baby voice, of course. But the way the former empress talked was commanding- something that suited her well. “It’s been a while, William. Are you still bothering Mona even now?”
Neoma stifled her laughter when the Grand Spirit flinched.
[Now I know why many people loved and respected Empress Juliet.]
***
RUTO couldn’t remember Neoma’s face.
All his memories with her were clear except for one thing: Neoma’s face was covered with a black smoke in every image in his head.
There was also the strange feeling in his chest that he lost something important.
It wasn’t hard to guess what it was.
“My fondness for Neoma’s beauty,” Ruto whispered to himself. “It disappeared.”
He was sad that he could no longer remember Neoma’s face, but he was used to it.
In his first life, he didn’t see Neoma’s face until the latter part of her life- the moment when she became powerful. After all, he couldn’t see the faces of weak humans.
Moreover, Neoma’s physical appearance didn’t matter that much to him.
[Don’t get me wrong. Neoma is the most beautiful girl in my eyes- now and then. However, my feelings for her won’t change just because I can’t remember her face anymore.]
He was glad that the first thing the Ancient Devil ate was his admiration for Neoma’s beauty. Since it was only a small reason why he fell in love with her, it wouldn’t affect him that much even if she couldn’t appreciate her face the way he did before.
The price that he had to pay for turning back time was indeed hefty.
Fortunately, he could pay it little by little.
However, he must hurry.
[There’s still time. I must pave the way to Neoma’s success in this lifetime before the Ancient Devil eats my strong emotions for her.]
“I have to return to the human world,” Ruto said firmly. “For Neoma.”
Always for his Neoma.
“Must you really return to the human world?”
Ruto looked at his father coldly. “Are you going to stop me?”
“My original plan was to lock you up here,” Levi said, then he approached him and put a hand on the burn mark on his face. “However, I changed my mind.”
He knitted his eyebrows. “And what made you change your mind, my lord?”
“You’re pitiful,” his divine father said casually. “I didn’t know the price you have to pay for making a deal with the Ancient Devil was this heavy. It pains me to see that bastard eat your emotions, but I can’t do anything to help you.”
“I am not asking for your help, my lord.”
Levi just smiled, his hand on Ruto’s face getting warm.
Ah.
That was when he realized what his divine father was doing.
[My lord is erasing the burn mark on my face.]
Only the God Among Gods could do that.
“I’ll let you go for now, Yoan,” Levi said, pulling his hand away from Ruto’s face. “After all, I know you’ll return to my side as an obedient son once you lose all your feelings for Neoma de Moonasterio.”
It was a cruel thing to hear from his divine father, but he couldn’t refute it.
After all, Ruto knew that Levi was correct.
[When I’m done paying the full price, I’ll probably become an empty vessel that Lord Levi can easily control.]
***
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