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Book 5: Chapter 49: Peace of mind
Book 5: Chapter 49: Peace of mind
Book 5: Chapter 49: Peace of mind
Unexpected murderous intent filled the air.
Despite having control over Kieran’s body, the pervert named Lacey maintained a courteous demeanor ever since the moment they met. Lilith did not even sense a hint of killing intent and hostility that one would expect from someone who was about to murder her.
Perhaps it was as he had mentioned, killing Lilith was simply a job given to him by his boss which was why he was carrying out the task in a professional manner. After all, the employee manual clearly stated that work should be done without involving personal emotions.
However, the murderous intent from Lacey right now had already surpassed the level of “personal emotions”. Even his aura alone caused the surrounding temperature to drop by several degrees. His hatred was almost vicious.
Lilith simply could not understand why he was suddenly showing such a strong murderous intent, as she had not said anything that would provoke such a violent reaction.
“Know what?”
Lilith asked, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t get what you’re talking about.”
Although Lacey’s sudden reaction confused Lilith, she had a feeling that she had stumbled upon a crucial lead. If she followed this lead, she might be able to get a step closer to the truth.
“Still acting dumb?” Lacey glared at Lilith with fury, his eyes now bloodshot. Kieran’s once gentle and feminine face had transformed into a malevolent, demonic face filled with hatred.
“I’m not, I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Heh.” Lacey snorted before his voice suddenly shifted. He was no longer speaking through Kieran but through his own body which was hidden in the fog. “I gave you a chance but you asked for this!”
A sudden burst of green light cut through the smoke, streaking through the air with a sharp, chilling energy. In an instant, red bloomed on Lilith’s shoulder like a bloody rose.
HISS… A sharp pain shot through Lilith’s shoulder, causing her to draw a breath of cold air. She quickly placed a hand over the new wound and turned her gaze toward the source of the green light.
A small section of white fog parted to reveal a stunning man with a gorgeous face and a slender figure. It was none other than the real Lacey, in flesh.
Lacey clutched his stomach with one hand, his figure slightly hunched over. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. He seemed like he was still in pain due to the painful kick from Lilith earlier. His other hand was raised, with his palm facing down. Five barely visible strings connected from each of his fingers to an extremely ugly doll hanging in front of him.
“I’m surprised that you would dare to show yourself,” Lilith remarked.
Lacey sneered. “Isn’t it a basic form of etiquette to personally bid farewell to someone who is about to die?”
Lacey moved his fingers slightly, and Lilith immediately sensed an impending danger. Reacting on instinct, she frantically rolled away on the ground, just in time to avoid a sudden attack from Kieran while she was distracted by Lacey.
Lilith got up from the ground with difficulty, her face turning pale from the pain of the wound inflicted by her intense movements. She paid no attention to Kieran, who was still under control, and instead focused her gaze on Lacey and his ugly doll.
Following the attack, neither Lacey nor Kieran, who was still under his control, made any further movements. Even so, their presence was still intimidating.
“I’ll ask you one last time, how did you… know that?” Lacey’s deep eyes grew even colder. His waist-length hair floated around him, despite the absence of wind. Over a dozen menacing green lights appeared around him.
Every green light was a high-quality disposable magic relic. Given their number, they could give even the strongest saint-level experts a headache.
The corner of Lilith’s eye twitched. By facing another opponent who had deep pockets, she finally understood how disheartening it must be for her enemies to face her in battle. Of course, Lilith’s pocket was still a bit deeper than Lacey’s.
“Again, what are you talking about?! You keep repeating the same thing over and over again, who the hell knows what you’re trying to convey!” Lilith felt like she was going to lose her mind at this rate.
Lacey’s aggressiveness reminded Lilith of a question she had seen in an elementary school student’s summer vacation homework from her previous world:
Question: Adam is seven years old. Adam’s father is five times as old as Adam. Adam’s mother is three years younger than Adam’s father.
Find: The mass of the Earth.
—It was simply baffling.
Lacey clenched his teeth with frustration and snapped, “What’s the point in playing dumb when you’ve already asked that kind of question?!”
“What question? I…”
Lilith suddenly froze.
Was the question that Lacey was referring to the one where she had asked him, “Which one are you?”
It was just a casual question, like asking for someone’s name when meeting them. It somehow triggered Lacey and upset him.
Wait a minute.
Realization suddenly hit Lilith. Her seemingly casual question could be interpreted in multiple ways. After all, she had asked “which one are you”, instead of “which number are you”.
The person she encountered in the capital of the Macedonian Empire identified himself as “Number Nine”. Since they were part of a larger group, Lilith assumed that each of them was given a number, like “Seven” or “Eight”.
All she wanted to find out was the real name of Lacey Guinevere, and confirm if he was the “Seven” from Durance’s intel. Lacey must have misunderstood her question and thought Lilith was asking him about his sexual orientation.1
Lilith had overlooked one crucial point. The “Nine” on the paper covering Nine’s face and the “Seven” on the back of that threatening letter were not written in the language of this world. That meant no one knew the meaning of those symbols except for special individuals like herself.
Therefore, the moment Lilith asked that question, she already revealed the fact that she knew what those symbols meant. In other words, her enemy wasn’t aware that she understood those symbols.
“I see…” Lilith mumbled to herself. “So that’s the reason why you’re mad.”
Lacey’s patience had obviously reached its limit because his expression grew increasingly cold. “Hmph, if you know then hurry up and answer my question.”
“I see. Well then… ha… hahaha…” Lilith suddenly burst into laughter. Although the wounds in her abdomen and shoulder were still bleeding, she continued to laugh with great intensity.
Lacey was stunned. “You… Are you crazy?”
“No, no, no. And it’s quite impolite of you to refer to a lady as crazy, Mr. Lacey.” Lilith gracefully lifted her head. Despite her injuries, she appeared composed, as if she just lost a strand of hair or broke a nail.
Lacey retreated slowly with caution, while Kieran advanced confidently under his control. “You seem happy?”
“Of course I’m happy, dear Mr. Lacey. As a lady, I have a little secret that I cannot reveal to anyone. The fear of it being exposed has weighed heavily on my heart, causing me distress. However, your perspective has shed light on the situation, and I now realize that my fear was unfounded. I feel relieved and happy, like the sun shining and flowers blooming all around me.”
Lilith released her ponytail, and her long blonde hair cascaded down like a waterfall. As she did so, her skin, which glowed with the luster of jade, began to take on the appearance of glazed amber, as if being melted by the furnace within her body.
“You…”
Lacey’s expression rapidly shifted, and he began to panic and retreat. The white fog around him rolled uncontrollably, engulfing his figure once more.
“Hehe, too late.”
Lilith chuckled. Her pupils shone like molten gold, resembling two rising suns, and the fog around her seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Mr. Lacey, let’s begin the second round.”
- TLN: This is a pun. In the raws, Lilith asked “which one are you”, she meant to ask “which number are you”, but Lacey misunderstood her and thought Lilith asked “are you gay”, because ? (which number) and ? (gay) share the same sound “ji” in Chinese.