The two of us stood facing each other in silence.
A few minutes later, I was the first to break the silence. "Belavilla?"
"— Ah?" The other party replied slowly, dragging out her voice with a perplexed expression on her face.
I chuckled at the girl in front of me. "Stop pretending. If you really are Sylvia, you should have waited a few seconds before saying 'Ah'."
A dazed expression flashed across the face of the silver-haired girl in front of me. Then, she sighed. "You really understand the other me. Alright, we meet again, Your Majesty, the strange Emperor."
"Do you have a habit of adding such rude annotations to the people you know?" I glanced at Belavilla from the corner of my eyes, but there was already a smile on my face. "This is really surprising. I thought you had disappeared forever."
"Feeling regretful?" Belavilla took two steps forward and stood right in front of me. Then, she suddenly stuck her face close to mine. Her large, bright eyes seemed to occupy my entire line of sight. "A powerful fallen apostle is still alive. Furthermore, he is in a state that you are unable to get rid of. You must be very distressed about this, right?"
My expression didn't change. I turned a deaf ear to the words that the other party intentionally said in a sinister tone.
"Boring fellow."
After realizing that I wasn't cooperating at all, Belavilla sighed exaggeratedly and stood up. "Aren't you going to call the guards? I am currently in a free state and you are alone. The situation is completely different from the last time. "
"There is no need. Aren't you already awake?" I smiled. I couldn't understand Belavilla's suggestion.
"Ugh, you are really … outrageous." After summarizing her words, the former fallen emperor in front of me could only use this word to describe my personality that lacked the self-awareness of a leader. "For such a fellow to become a leader, there must be a problem somewhere …"
To be honest, I didn't expect Belavilla to suddenly wake up and even take the initiative to look for me. Her soul was already shattered. It was impossible for her to stay awake for a long period of time. Thus, she didn't have the time to wander around aimlessly. It was even more impossible for her to wander around aimlessly after waking up. This Empress could only have intentionally come to find him. However, even though I was astonished, I didn't intend to alert anyone else. This ancient Empress gave me the feeling that she was someone with her own thoughts. Since she chose to appear in front of me at this time without anyone to disturb her, she definitely had something to say.
"Don't overthink it. I just woke up suddenly and learned about the carnival from that guy's memory. I just wanted to see what you guys were up to." Facing my inquiry, Belavilla only snorted and replied indifferently.
"How do you feel?"
"Lax, undisciplined, chaotic, noisy, clamorous. Trampling the Empire's discipline and efficiency into a complete mess." Belavilla spat out a string of vicious and derogatory words without any hesitation. Her Poisonous Tongue skill instantly broke the rules and gave me a beautiful five-hit combo. However, just as I was about to turn Pale Wind into a sand sculpture, she suddenly stopped and said the last word softly. "But it makes people … happy."
"Who knows, maybe the only flaw of the Shiring Apostles that we have been searching for all this time is this laxity. You brat, after the fall of the Empire, have you finally made up for this flaw?"
"I don't understand what you are saying at all."
I smiled at Belavilla. Since we weren't very familiar with each other, I suppressed my sarcastic spirit. I definitely wouldn't say that the Destroyer of Moral Principles was her true identity behind the scenes!
"Let's find a place to sit for a while."
Feeling that it wasn't a good atmosphere to talk while standing in the square, I took the initiative to invite her. Belavilla nodded and pointed to the distance. "There is a place to rest over there."
A few minutes later, a former Emperor and a current Head of State sat down on a bench under a street lamp in the middle of the night.
"How peaceful." Belavilla leaned comfortably on the bench and sighed with a lazy magnetic voice that was completely different from Silvia's. "We don't have to bear any burden, we don't have to consider anything. We can just sit at a place and chat with a person that we can call a friend or simply daydream. This is what we, the Shiring Apostles, despise the most. It is a life without any progress. But now, I actually feel that this isn't too bad."
I looked at the girl in surprise. "I didn't expect you to think that way. Visca told me that you are a very strict person."
"7535, huh?" Belavilla lifted her head to look at the sky so that no one could see her current expression. "That child has her own name too. She has always wanted a name. She only woke up for two to three hours the last time and used all of it to answer your questions. She didn't even get to talk to 7535 properly. She probably doesn't talk about me much. After all, I didn't treat her very well back then."
I was silent for a while as I recalled what Visca had said about Belavilla.
"Indeed, Visca said that you are a very strict person and that you have punished her a few times. However, that girl has always called you Sister Belavilla intimately. You shouldn't know that, right?"
The silver-haired girl looked at me in surprise. Her eyes were filled with suspicion. "Is that so? I don't remember that. She should hate me because I have sent her on dangerous missions more than once, even though she would always come back covered in wounds. "
"But you are the only one who would visit her at the rehabilitation center after the mission. Even if it was just to mock and ridicule her, Visca would treat it as a visit." I smiled at Belavilla. "Also, if it wasn't for your cruel missions, I'm afraid that Visca would have faced something even more dangerous."
The girl beside me was silent for a long time before she sighed softly. "… The Fallen Apostles aren't monolithic. After losing a certain 'racial soul', the glorious and united Shiring Apostles of the past began to learn deceit, betrayal, and selfishness … These were the psychological flaws of a weak primitive species that we once despised deeply. I don't know if this situation was caused by the Abyss, but it caused the world of the Fallen Apostles to be filled with fatal plots and traps. Many of them were targeted at 75 … Targeted at Visca. From the very beginning, that child was an existence that we viewed as an unstable factor. She was crazy and had no qualms about obeying any orders. Even after we used the Abyss energy to corrupt her, only I could barely command her.
Thus, those high-ranking officers who opposed me treated Visca as a breakthrough point. They believed that such a powerful warrior who would only listen to my orders was a threat to the 'great cause'. However, due to the restriction of 'no internal strife' on the surface, they couldn't publicly execute Visca. Thus, there were always people plotting to put that child in danger. "
"You couldn't use direct methods to protect her, because that would only put her in an even more disadvantageous situation."
"More or less. The Fallen Apostles had already abandoned the honor of their past race, and all types of negative emotions had already wantonly spread between us. Meanwhile, the crazy Visca was actually just like a blank sheet of paper in this type of environment, a little hedgehog that stirred up trouble everywhere but didn't know how to protect itself."
I didn't say anything, only quietly listening until the end. Then, I raised my head to look at the artificial bright moon in the City of Shadows.
The night was quiet, truly a night suitable for talking about secrets.
I could finally confirm the true side of Belavilla. Even when she was a Fallen Apostle, she was still protecting Visca.
I should be thanking her. Even though part of the suffering Visca suffered during that crazy period also came from Belavilla, the latter did it for the sake of her own "little sister 7535" being able to safely survive. It was just that one of them was a lunatic, and the other couldn't say it out loud, so they were never able to open their hearts like true sisters.
What made me feel at ease was that in the end, the two of them both found their own peace.
"Living in your country is very blissful, even though I didn't really appreciate your character in the beginning." Belavilla's soft voice echoed in the night sky. "I've always been curious as to what exactly your way of becoming a king is. You don't engage in conquest, aren't good at trickery, don't like authority, and don't even know how to rule. This kind of person is completely the opposite of what I thought a king should be. Forget about becoming an emperor, you didn't even have the qualifications to be called a warrior in the beginning … However, a true king was willing to stay by your side, and the most outstanding subjects continued to gather. The fragmented old Empire gradually recovered under your theory of being a good person that left others speechless. You even used your own theory of being a good person to establish a macro world with astonishing strategic value. Even if you used it to hold a carnival."
I was embarrassed by Belavilla's somewhat venomous way of describing me. In the end, I could only smile foolishly and scratch my head, indicating that I couldn't refute.
"Actually, I feel that I was completely lucky to be able to reach where I am today." I felt uncomfortable under Belavilla's piercing gaze. "If you really want to talk about the way of a king, I feel that I can't even compare to the little nanny at home."
Indeed, even though Niang Shanshan often talked about something like "the pride of a king", my biggest goal in life was to just eat and wait for death. As for the queen, her biggest goal was still to have three bedrooms and one living room …
When I thought about it this way, I felt that it was really amazing that the Empire could survive to this day under my rule. It was even more amazing than the world that persisted until today under Jingle's rule!
"I admit that I don't understand the so-called way of a king at all. Even my basic management experience was crammed from Sandora."
Talking to Belavilla seemed to make one feel pressured easily. The other party's venomous tongue was just one of the reasons. More importantly, it was her strict attitude that hid a needle in silk floss and her qualifications as the former head of the Empire. Sandora was also the head of the Empire, but she had the foodie attribute and her identity as my sister to ease the tension. On the other hand, Belavilla only made me feel nervous, like a newbie facing an old bird. When the creatures on Earth were still in the state of a single cell, she had already lived for many generations.
"Is that so?" Belavilla looked at me quietly. It was really strange to see this kind of wise expression on her usually dull face, but I couldn't help but become serious. She stared at me and suddenly smiled. "We can be considered colleagues, so let me give you some advice. I'm really worried that without the guidance of an experienced senior, you, a person who was crowned as a king by the humans, might walk down the wrong path. Look at them!"
Belavilla suddenly raised her voice and pointed in a direction. It was the place where we just came from, the totem area where the heroic deeds of the various worlds were projected.
"They, and everyone around you, those are your way of a king."
I thought for a moment and looked conflicted. "Can you explain it more clearly?"
The atmosphere that Belavilla had painstakingly created collapsed together with her. "You … Alright, I finally understand why the famous Princess Warsong has become a glutton. Those who are with you will be infected sooner or later. What I mean is simple. The people who gather around you are your way of a king. A king may be benevolent, iron-fisted, wise, or dictatorial, but you are different from any of the above. You are not a ruler, and you will never learn to become an outstanding king. However, you can gather those who possess those talents by your side, and let them become brothers and sisters for a common goal. That is your path. Don't waste your efforts to learn the way of a king. It is useless to you, but at least you have the ability to gather those who understand the way of a king by your side. Walk the path that you have walked to this day. This is the advice that I give you with my experience and wisdom. Because no matter what, I still like this city very much, and you, on the other hand, make me feel uneasy. "
I was stunned. I summarized Belavilla's words into the following:
Don't think about being the main character of the Against the Heavens Style. You are not that dish! All he had to do was be an honest parent!
My summary was very precise, and it would make people want to cry.
"Alright, I have one last question." I looked at Belavilla's expression and noticed that she was sleepy again. I knew that there was not much time left. "Why did you suddenly say all this to me?"
She was a former fallen emperor. Even if she had regained her consciousness, I didn't think that I had a deep friendship with her. Belavilla's current relationship with me was equivalent to that of a tenant and a landlord. Moreover, due to her strange way of existence, she could only be considered half a tenant. With such a small friendship, there was no need for her to come and have a heart-to-heart talk with me in the middle of the night.
Even though it was just a conversation, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that what she said just now was from the bottom of her heart. It could be said that she had given me a beacon of light when I was in a dazed state.
Even though I suspected that I was in a dazed state, or that I had always been in such a dazed state …
"Why did I say all this to you?" Belavilla sneered. She seemed to be mocking me, but the expression on her face was not fake kindness. "I was just asked."
"Asked?"
I curiously asked back.
"Asked by my other self …" Belavilla said in a self-deprecating tone. Then, she suddenly put on a dazed expression and mimicked Sylvia's slow tone. "… Chen is a good person, but his burden is too heavy. I know that I should help him. But I am too stupid. I don't know what to do. If it was you, you would definitely know what to do. Please … work hard to show my sincerity … Ah, it's so tiring to speak like this. My other self is really a very powerful person!!"
Belavilla sighed exaggeratedly. Then, she looked at me with a teasing smile. "That's why I didn't sleep in the middle of the night to look for you to guide me."
"This Novice Guide is three years late." I suppressed my feelings for Sylvia and showed a grateful expression towards this former Fallen Emperor who was a little crafty but had a candid side to her. "However, I really should thank you. I feel much more at ease now."
What I meant was that I could finally find a dignified excuse for myself in the future. Look at the skill instructor in the novice village, that was what she said to me!!
"Right, should I call Visca over?" I felt that Belavilla should have finished talking with me. I started to think about whether I should call the little loli who always misses her sister Belavilla to come over and reminisce with her good sister. Although there was a weird feeling of 'my precious sister was stolen away', if Visca was happy about it, then it was a good choice.
"No need." Belavilla lowered her head and her voice was a little muffled. "There is not much time left today. Suddenly falling asleep in front of that child isn't a good way to bid farewell. But don't worry. Maybe I will wake up more often in the future … Let's talk about it next time. Don't let her worry …"
Business gradually dimmed and disappeared. I lightly touched the arm of the silver-haired girl beside me and said softly, "Belavilla?"
"You didn't delete my save, right?"
In the end, she suddenly raised her head and said that.
"And my Rubik's Cube!"
"… If you aren't sleepy, then don't scare me like that."
"I can't help it. Soul exhaustion is different from you sleeping." Belavilla's eyelids were fighting, but her voice didn't sound tired at all. "I only know that I am about to fall asleep. But when I fall asleep depends on when Sylvia wakes up. Don't you know how slow she is?"
I blanked out and spread my hands in frustration. "Okay, let's talk about the Armor of Wind …"
Before I finished speaking, I suddenly felt a weight on my shoulder. A soft and fragrant body lightly leaned into my embrace. Belavilla fell asleep in an instant.
… I really can't be sure at all!
"Belavilla?" I gently nudged her body, but what responded to me was a gentle and slow breathing sound. "Sylvia?"
Still no response. Sylvia is a good child who sleeps after 10 at night. In this regard, she is more punctual than the lolis at home.
The soul's slumber was different from the body's slumber. Similarly, the soul's awakening was different from the body's awakening.
The silver-haired girl let out a small, even snore. It seems that sleeping on an unfamiliar bed isn't very comfortable. She arched herself in my embrace and used my arm as a pillow.
Feeling the soft touch on my arm, I looked at the beautiful face right in front of me. My heart was in turmoil. In front of this beauty, countless heroic images flashed through my mind. For example, Lord Ximen.
Fortunately, in the end, my mind was fixed on my Shallow Shallow and Sandora. More importantly, I felt that taking advantage of a slow silver-haired mole wasn't very satisfying.
"You really can endure," Belavilla said faintly.
"…"
I hate this kind of sly fellow!
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