Chapter 683

Davey faced Neltarid[1], whose true gender remained unclear..

"Why are you calling me Freyja? You would cause a great mishap by desecrating the goddess in front of the Saint."

With an expression that remained unchanged, Neltarid waved their hand gently and said, "Even if time flows and flesh changes, how could I possibly forget you?"

As they spoke, they touched Davey's cheeks. Then Davey lost control over his body in an instant. What was the use of elevating his spirit to the level of a demigod if he could not use any of it at that moment?

After they subdued Davey, they then leaned closer to him and placed a kiss on his forehead just as he manifested the Power of Taboo. But at that moment, golden chains appeared and slowly pulled them apart.

"Freyja has noticed."

Considering it was Freyja's domain, it was only a natural outcome for her to notice.

Davey could feel Neltarid's eyes on him even if they were close. Then, after a moment of silence, Neltaridbegan to let time flow again.

"When the Roar of the Moon comes for the seventh time, Freyja's dimensional barrier will completely dissipate." With their eyes still closed, their gently stroked his cheek and further said, "The remnants of the hidden Absolute Gem will be fully revealed."

When Neltarid spoke of seven Roars of the Moon, they meant seven months.

"All those who yearn for that power and are captivated by its light shall gather," they declared as they began to transform into light, as though they had caught fire. Meanwhile, to Davey, who was listening, Neltarid's voice seemed to be moving away, as though becoming distant.

"Why are you making it so hard to have a proper conversation with you..." Davey replied, but he ended up freezing halfway through his annoyed complaint.

From every direction, something that looked like bizarre hands with colors reminiscent of the night sky emerged and closed in on him. But he didn't feel fear upon seeing them. Instead, instinctive panic overcame him, knowing somehow that he shouldn't let them touch him. But as thousands upon thousands of them got closer, Neltarid shone and emanated power, making all of them halt as if by a miracle.

[...]

Davey quickly changed his attitude and laughed lightly. He even said, "Ah, you might as well keep shining like that. Oh, it was dark, but now it's all sparkly and nice."

In response, Neltarid lifted their hand and flicked their finger lightly. Davey then felt himself begin to disappear, as though he were evaporating.

[Freyja, who promised to be my other half.]

The voice, which seemed to belong to a young boy, became more harmonious and pleasing to listen to.

[My mistake has led to a creation betraying its creator and awakening destruction that never should have awakened.]

"That octopus tentacle."

[The awakened destruction will gradually synchronize with me, and the more it does, I would become less and less capable of helping you.

"..."

[I'm sorry to burden you, Freyja.]

"If you call me Freyja one more time, I'm cutting ties with you on the spot."

[Davey, find the Absolute Gem... Seal the rift that ties Thanatos to your homeland and put him to sleep again.]

"Would that octopus tentacle be a problem?"

[Everything on Earth will change.]

It was possible that the current, brilliantly civilized Earth would change, as if an age were coming to an end.

"You should've taken better care of your power," Davey said mockingly.

But truthfully, he could not really blame anyone. After all, the real problem was the Malicious Spirit.

[Weak as it may be... May my blessing be with you.]

Davey was expelled from the place and vanished completely.

***

Davey often found himself dreaming.

"Sigh..."

He jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat and trembling all over from the chilling sensation. It was an odd and unsettling dream. Usually, such dreams were...

"Dreams without a particular meaning..."

If Kain had heard Davey dismiss such a dream where he spoke to a god as nonsense, he would have become enraged. Fortunately, the only one beside him was Perserque, to whom he vowed an eternity of being her other half.

She had successfully undergone Metamorphosis. While her body looked no different at a glance, a power equivalent to the Ninth Circle was sealed within her. More importantly, Perserque no longer had an artificial body after her spirit entered and accepted the one that Davey reconstructed. She was now a complete living entity, as proven by the heartbeat Davey could feel as he held her hand.

"..."

Davey picked up Perserque and gently placed her on the bed, believing she had fallen asleep while tending to him.

How much time had passed? After checking the date, he stared blankly as he realized that even though the vast space he experienced felt like it was only for a few minutes, three days had actually gone by since he had passed out. A mix of emotions then washed over him. The only thing he had gained from his dream was the knowledge that Freyja's barrier between dimensions would completely dissipate in seven months.

In his dream, he was also urged by Neltarid to seek the Absolute Gem before that happened. But by then, it would've been too late. Davey also had an inkling that once most of the restrictions on dimensional travel would be gone, even he would find it hard to leave Tionis. Davey continued to mull about this as he was about to open the window with a glass of wine in his hand.

"Ah, why the rush?"

He paused at the sound of a familiar and saccharine sweet voice. His face then grew stern, and sweat formed involuntarily. He was startled into wakefulness and was creeped out at the same time. He then hastily poured the wine on the bushes before placing the wine glass on the terrace's balustrade. And with the most calm resolve he could muster, he turned toward the source of the voice.

It was Winley O'Rowane. She was his sister, who was still too young and unbearably cute. Yet, he hadn't expected that Winley could speak in a voice that seemed to be dripping with honey.

Sweating, Davey headed toward the direction of the voice, and when he got to where the voice was coming from, he saw Winley, who had her waist held and her arm gripped by someone else. Meanwhile, Davey could only watch as a man pressed his lips against hers.

"..."

"Hey..."

Hearing Davey's call, Winley and Yulis got startled and immediately turned their heads.

"Davey highly believes it's the time for a missile dropkick, you bastard!"

Unable to hold back his boiling anger any longer, Davey sprang up and delivered a missile dropkick straight to Yulis, whose eyes widened in confusion.

"Ugh?!"

Yulis was sent flying with a loud noise, and Winley looked at Davey in horror.

But Davey did not stop there. He proceeded to use acceleration magic to send Yulis flying all the way to the lake in the garden.

"Kyaa! Mr. Yulis!"

They said raising children was pointless[2]! Davey screamed internally. A small hand then tapped his cheek lightly, as though to comfort him.

"I've said it before, but Winley is not your daughter."

When did Perserque wake up and come all the way here again? Normally, Davey would have said something to her in response, but he was unable to keep his composure at the moment.

Yulis had barely managed to scramble out of the pond as he coughed violently when Davey grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flashed the brightest smile he could muster. He then said, "You see, Mr. Yulis."

"Huh!? Da... Davey."

"We haven't seen each other in so long. We have so much to talk about, right?"

Davey's bright smile seemed to mean Yulis was in trouble.

Stunned, Yulis looked back and forth between Davey and Perserque. He then stared at Winley before eventually kneeling down on the ground and shouting, "Please let me marry Winley!"

Everyone at the scene was silenced by his declaration.

***

It was not surprising. After all, Davey had known there was a subtle romantic tension between Winley and Yulis.

"Here's the problem, though. My little sister, who is precious to me, is out here in the middle of the night, kissing someone.

"..."

"Wouldn't that make my blood boil?"

"That is..."

"Ah, it doesn't matter. It's not for me to interfere," Davey dismissed. But then he stopped abruptly and asked Yulis, "Isn't it too early?"

"Haha..." Yulis laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek. "I apologize. It turns out that she became pregnant."

"Rinne!" Davey screamed without any hesitation. His voice rang out so loudly that Rinne burst through the window as if on cue.

"Rinne's perfect landing is highly rated!"

"Bring me the crowbar."

Davey radiated a piercing coldness, as though frost was forming around his mouth.

On the other hand, Yulis finally realized he had said something terribly wrong and began to back away.

With a twinkle in her eyes, Rinne tilted her head slightly and quickly scanned Winley and Yulis. Then, when her gaze landed on Winley's abdomen, she wordlessly pulled out her signature weapon, the crowbar that was known as humanity's savior, and handed it to Davey.

"Mr. Yulis, exactly just one. I'll just rip off one thing."

After all, a man's symbol could never be broken, just torn.

In utter panic, Yulis hid his crotch area with one hand and addressed Davey politely, "Huh?! Wait! Prince Davey!"

Davey simply approached Yulis with an icy expression on his face.

"I knew from the start you had feelings for Winley."

Still, this was unacceptable. And if word got out, Winley's chances of getting married would be ruined, and a myriad of rumors about her would also spread.

"Now that you've disseminated your seeds, I can take it away," Davey said coldly as he magically bound Yulis, who was trying to escape in vain.

"Oh... Brother! Please stop!"

Davey felt like he was seething with frustration inside. Although he had always thought that Winley would find love, he also believed that it should happen a lot later.

"Brother! Please! Spare his life!"

At Winley's earnest plea, Davey twirled the crowbar around.

"I'm sorry, Winley. But people must pay for their sins."

The realization that Davey was being serious set in, and Yulis's face went pale upon seeing Davey's smile. And when Davey laughed, Yulis awkwardly followed suit.

After a moment of uneasy stalemate, Perserque whispered to Davey, "Did you know? Apparently, Baris showed up to the council meeting looking all skinny and pale. His soul was probably sucked out by Lady Felicity."

When Davey nodded, Perserque chuckled and said, "And our next target?"

"Lady Felicity."

Unable to conceal her intentions, Lady Felicity had obviously been eyeing Baris since their first encounter, and it seemed she had jumped at him like a leopard to an impala.

Davey flashed a menacing look at Yulis and held up three fingers as he said, "Mr. Yulis, I really dislike people who don't take responsibility. So choose."

"Wha... what do you mean?"

"First, you get engaged to my sister and have your life on the line."

Yulis swallowed hard at Davey's words.

"Second, you refuse and die. Third, you just die and bring the entire Red Tower down with you."

Yulis had no other choice given the circumstances, although Davey would still have the fury of a brother who must give his sister away to a different man. But Davey had not realized yet that the logic he laid out would soon put him in a bind.

"That's right. If you make a mess, you have to take responsibility."

Perserque chuckled as if she knew something Davey did not.

1. The author is using both he and she to depict Neltarid, so Neltarid will be referred to they in the future unless it's a flashback. ☜

2. This is an old-fashioned saying in Korea. It's about how none of parenting matters in the end because people's children will take their girl/boyfriends' side first, not their parents. ☜