Chapter 683: Between Light & Light (End)

The first thing Rhode saw when he opened his eyes was pure whiteness.

Anne hugged him tightly like a human-size doll. She showed a satisfied, blissful smile and blushed cheeks. Rhode revealed a bitter smile at the thought of the crazy night. He had never faced such a tough 'opponent' like Anne before. Perhaps due to her Half-Beast bloodline, she was exceptionally energetic and had strong resilience. If the spraining of his waist with Lize was an accident, then this 'violent battle' with Anne would be considered a 'war of attrition'. There were no techniques or shortcuts involved. It was purely based on who could gain the victory by lasting until the end.

What left Rhode between laughter and tears was that during the final 'fierce battle', Anne had fallen into a deep sleep, snoring away. He was working his way through and realized that something was amiss. He flipped her around to find her widening her mouth in her sweet dreamland, leaving him speechless. But even so, he perked up his senses and finished his job before leaving the battlefield.

"Hmm..."

Anne hummed in her sleep perhaps sensing Rhode's movements. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed her firm, upright bosoms against his back. Got to say, Anne's body proportions were great. Even though Lize and Marlene were also soft to the touch, they were still smaller in size, after all. Anne's chest presented a perfect shape and even though Rhode didn't favor women with balloon-sized chest, it would still be a shame if their chest was too small. The shape of Anne's chest was still the favorite type for males. They were neither too small nor huge. Not only was the tactile sensation was just right, but her delicate skin was also perfect.

Perhaps due to the overly fierce battle, Anne was still snoring away in her sleep after Rhode had washed up and changed into his clothes. It seemed that she wouldn't be awake without staying in bed for the whole day.

The imperial residence was oddly peaceful, but Rhode knew that the entire Casabianca was in the state of an unprecedented storm after the Dragon Soul Ceremony yesterday. The Light Parliament had embarrassed themselves before the people and even though the military exercise had taken place behind closed doors, the people of the Country of Light would surely hear about this news regardless if the ones spreading it harbored ill intentions or not. This was unacceptable humiliation for them because the Light Parliament had to come up with something to shift the people's attention and also guarantee that their authority could be consolidated. This was the simplest way for them to kill two birds with one stone...

Rhode lifted his head and gazed out the window. He couldn't spot a trace of darkness and shadow under the brilliantly lit sky.

"Ah, Mr. Rhode."

Even though Marlene and Lize were surprised to find Rhode stepping out of the room, they approached him immediately with smiles.

"Rhode, how are you feeling?"

"Everything's okay. I'm almost fully recovered."

Rhode waved his left hand. Even though this world wasn't logical enough, the effects of treatments from spiritual and alchemy spells were truly incredible. If he were to be injured this way in the real world, perhaps he might need a few months to recover fully. Not only that, but he might also undergo chest operations. On the contrary, in this Dragon Soul Continent, one could recover with spiritual spells no matter how hurt one was. Just like an illness, as long as the spell-caster was formidable enough, one could be treated from hard-to-treat cases or even minor flu and coughs. Of course, there were still 'illnesses' that couldn't be cured like Christie's or ones caused by curses, bloodlines, and other unchangeable reasons and non-illnesses.

It was due to this that there were so many Clerics in the Dragon Soul Continent, as they didn't need to specialize in medical knowledge of various disciplines such as internal medicine or surgeries. As long as one was sick or injured, the Clerics could treat them using spiritual spells. But if one's illness wasn't cured, it wouldn't be due to the failure of surgery or intake of wrong medication, but purely due to the incapability of the Cleric's strength or perhaps one wasn't just simply hurt.

Lize and Marlene let out sighs of relief after witnessing that Rhode's palm wound had been healed. Then, Lize clapped her hands together as she just thought of something.

"Ah, right, Mr. Rhode, Royal Highness Lydia has sent someone to pass a message earlier. Please head to the Dragon Soul Temple."

"Dragon Soul Temple?"

Rhode frowned and nodded.

"Got it, I'll get prepared."

"By the way, Rhode," Marlene said.

"Do you know where Anne is? Lize and I went to her room to look for her, but she wasn't there. The others don't seem to know where she has gone to."

As soon as Marlene finished her sentence, the door behind Rhode squeaked open. Then, a naked Anne peered out from the door with blurry eyes.

"Hmm... What's wrong, Sister Marlene? You were looking for Anne? Anne is so tired..."

Anne cupped her mouth and let out a long yawn.

"—"

Time had as though frozen at this moment.

Marlene and Lize widened their eyes in disbelief at the naked young lady. In an instant, the air had as though turned ice-cold.

"R-Rhode? What... What's going on? You and Anne..."

Marlene's fair cheeks flushed. She gazed at Anne blankly before turning to Rhode and he shrugged helplessly. In fact, this was the worst development that he could imagine. But before he answered, Anne shook her head curiously.

"What's wrong, Sister Marlene? Is anything the matter?"

"A-Anne... Y-You and Mr. Rhode. Did you two..."

Lize was wide-eyed. She shifted her gaze between Rhode and Anne, but was speechless. On the other hand, Anne nodded happily and wrapped her arms around his arm. Then, she lifted her head proudly.

"Uh huh, Anne and Leader have done it, Lize. Just like you've said, Anne likes Leader the most, so Anne wants to play with Leader. It was really a comfortable thing. So fun!"

"T-This isn't anything fun! Anne!"

Marlene exclaimed in a sharp, loud tone and it resounded in the empty corridor. She gazed at Anne blankly and couldn't utter another word.

"Waa!"

Anne shrunk back subconsciously and hid behind Rhode. But, she quickly peered out bravely and gazed at Marlene with puffed cheeks.

"Sister Marlene is so petty! You two can play with Leader, so why can't Anne too? Anne knows that you and Sister Lize have played with Leader a few times because Anne can smell Leader's scent from your down-there!"

"What—!"

Marlene's pale complexion instantly turned reddish. She pointed her trembling finger at Anne, but couldn't utter a single word. Lize let out a shiver and placed her hands on her upper thighs subconsciously. At this moment, Rhode, who was watching the show all these while, let out a helpless sigh.

"... Lize, help Anne get dressed. She can't run about in this manner. Alright then, I'm heading to the Dragon Soul Temple."

Rhode patted on Anne's head before swiftly fleeing the scene. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the corner of the corridor. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward and he got out while the going was good. Three women made a market, and he was better off leaving them alone.

It was already noon when Rhode arrived at the entrance of the temple.

As the residence of the Creator Dragon Soul, the architectural style of the Light Dragon Temple was incomparably majestic and oppressive in the form of white jade. A hundred wide steps spread along the hillside to the large entrance doors with two railings carved with sacred and exquisite designs into the spotlessly white temple. A ten meter tall, round stone column supported the dome ceiling and the dazzling sun spilled through the wide windows on both sides. It was apparent that the entire layout of this building was meticulously designed. No matter how the sun shifted through its course, the perfectly-placed skylight could guarantee that every corner of the temple would be blessed by warm sunlight. The tinted glasses and tulle curtains provided a layer of comfort, ensuring that the sun wasn't overwhelming, at the same time adding some beautiful coloration to the charming place.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I've entered this temple during a time of peace...

After announcing his name to the Battle Angels, they led him inside the Light Dragon Temple. Rhode sized up the temple curiously because, in the game, he wasn't a player of the Country of Light and the Light Parliament had put up several 'layers of protection' for the Light Dragon, so it wasn't easy for him to enter this place.

He had only been to this place once in the game. But that was after he led the players to destroy the Light Parliament. The Light Dragon Soul was long unoccupied and there were no signs of Battle Angels anywhere. All that remained was an empty temple. Rhode wandered about and all that came into view was the spread of burning flames, wreckage, and ruins scattered from the explosions. But now...

Rhode shifted his gaze forward and spotted Lydia at the end of the spacious corridor. She was squinting at himself with interest and presented a smile as Rhode approached.

"I didn't expect you to be this punctual, Earl Rhode."

"Your Highness, is anything the matter?"

Of course, Rhode wouldn't be that foolish to tell Lydia that he was dying to get out of the tangled and complicated situation between his subordinates, so he appeared this eager. He bowed respectfully and greeted. Lydia shook her head slightly and winked playfully at him.

"I'm not the one who's looking for you, Earl Rhode. It's Her Majesty who wants to see you."

Lydia beckoned to him with a gracious smile. Rhode pondered for a moment and followed her.

Upon entering through the large doors, Rhode saw what seemed to be an indoor botanical garden. The wide, transparent glass filled the entire ceiling from top to bottom. He looked up and spotted white clouds drifting in the clear blue sky in the distance. Vibrant flowers and lush vegetation had filled the spacious, round room while a stream flowed gently in the sound of soft splashing water. What was more surprising was that there was a huge lake in this spacious indoors and in its middle floated a green island about five to six meters large. On the green island, there was a round table with exquisite chairs and tea set. Not only that, but a detailed small bridge also spanned the lake, connecting the green island to the edge of the river bank. A petite figure could be seen sitting by the round table under the warm, glorious sun.

This is truly the extravagant life of capitalism.

Rhode commented inwardly. Even though she was the Creator Dragon Soul and it shouldn't be surprising that she owned such a luxurious palace, Rhode suddenly realized that his previous thoughts about her weren't exaggerated at all after witnessing this view.

This place was indeed the ideal 'greenhouse' that separated itself from reality.

"Ah..."

Lily revealed a smile and waved her tiny hand in the air to capture his attention. Rhode crossed the small bridge, went up to her, and gave a slight bow.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. It is my utmost honor to receive your summon..."

Rhode lifted his head and gazed at the little girl before him.

"Alright. Should I call you Lily? Or Your Majesty?"

The little girl stared blankly before shaking her head and let out a soft, awkward cough.

"About that... I'm sorry, Mr. Rhode. It wasn't with ill intention for me to hide the truth from you. Alright then, allow me to introduce myself once again."

The little girl laid her hands down and sat upright. She looked at Rhode sternly.

"Hi there, Mr. Rhode, I'm the Light Dragon Soul Heir, Lilian... You can call me Lily here."

"Alright, Lily."

Rhode nodded slightly and sat down on the other side of the round table. The tea set and desserts were ready on the table. It seemed that Lily was clear of her motive in inviting Rhode here. But when Rhode shifted his gaze, he realized that there was no one else apart from both of them.

"Have you always been alone here, Lily?"

"Serene will usually be here to accompany me, but she isn't around today... I've gotten her to handle the situation involving Dalkest.

The little girl fiddled with the teacup in her tiny hands and displayed a heavy look.

"Mr. Rhode, thank you for your guidance. If I didn't see it for myself, I would still believe that this world is perfect without any tragic lives. I thought that everyone led their blissful lives without any worries, troubles, or pain. Everyone in the Light Parliament told me that and with their management, the people of Country of Light are living peaceful and wonderful lives. This was why I didn't see the need to intervene with their jobs. But..."

Lilian lowered her head and bit her lip. Her body was shaking, but it wasn't due to anger. It was more of nervousness and uncertainties. She lifted her head and gazed at Rhode worriedly.

"Mr. Rhode, do you think what I've done is right? I hope to use my strength to change this world and not rely on others. But do you think this is the right choice?"

"This isn't a question that I should answer on your behalf, Lily."

Rhode shook his head slightly.

"There's a saying in my hometown: Man proposes, but God disposes."

"What does that mean...?"

Lilian said and Rhode continued his statement.

"Since it wouldn't change anything by maintaining its current state, what's there to not make some changes? Lily. The result aren't most important. It's the determination instead. I do what I think is right. Perhaps I won't receive the best results, but, this is my choice... I won't regret the decision I've made. Perhaps the result that I gain isn't as perfect as I've imagined and it may bring pain, sadness, and failure... But I will never regret them because there's no purpose in regrets. Lily, I'm only a mortal. I don't know if every decision I make is correct or if it can lead me to the desired result. But the only thing that I'm sure of is that once I've made my decision to work hard for my desires, I will give it my best and also rely on some luck to ensure that I reach my goals. No matter if I succeed or failed, I've tried my best, at the very least."

"Man proposes, but God disposes..."

Lilian lowered her head and murmured under her breath. After a few moments, she raised her head as though she had figured things out. She presented a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Rhode. I think I know what I should do now."

Rhode gazed at her in silence and suddenly, a golden radiance flashed across his eyes, revealing a line of system prompt.

[Mission Completed — Between Light and Light]