Chapter 87: The Hateful Hero
Genesis approved of Misha’s method and agreed to let him kidnap the Yong Zhe, but Misha couldn’t possibly accept the suggestion she made.
Fortunately, Misha thought, given his current relationship with the Hero, he didn’t actually need to sacrifice himself to that extent. He only needed to spread his wings to block Arlo and Genesis’s view, then secretly explain the situation to the Hero and just grab him and flee.
Yes, he wouldn’t sacrifice himself. He absolutely wouldn’t sacrifice himself for something like this!
So they quickly finalized the plan. Misha braced himself and returned alone to where the Hero and Samuel were. Arlo and Genesis didn’t follow directly. They waited until Misha reached the spot before finding an unoccupied corner to carefully observe what was about to happen.
Lance was leaning against a tree waiting for them, while Samuel stood blankly before the tree, lost in his own world. Originally, Misha had been curious about what kind of lie Arlo had told Samuel, but now, Misha no longer cared. Whatever the lie was, Samuel could do as he pleased.
He was the one who felt like he couldn’t get through this hurdle!!!
Misha took a deep breath and spoke with a face of utter seriousness. “Samuel.”
Samuel, looking soul-weary, slowly turned his head.
Misha: “Could you please leave for a moment?”
Samuel: “Oh.”
He didn’t even think. He turned around without hesitation and walked toward another part of the forest, leaving space for Misha and Lance to talk privately.
Lance, however, was a bit confused. Seeing that Arlo and Genesis hadn’t followed, he frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “What happened?”
Misha: “…”
Misha didn’t know if he should speak. Since Genesis and Arlo hadn’t followed, did he still have to follow that bizarre plan? He could just tell the Hero he was taking him away. That would reduce everyone’s embarrassment and spare him the weird drama of humiliating the Hero.
But he thought that wouldn’t be right. He still cautiously looked around to confirm that Genesis and Arlo weren’t nearby. But with this glance, he caught Genesis’s figure flashing quickly behind a large tree.
Misha: “…”
Dammit, they still came to watch the show.
Then he had no choice but to try his best to act!
Misha took a deep breath, trying to put on a fierce tone. He struggled to recall the insulting lines Teacher Alisa had taught him, but he couldn’t remember anything. He could only fix his gaze on the Hero, trying to use volume to express his ruthlessness. He shouted, “I have something to say to you!”
Lance: “…Ah.”
He looked a bit puzzled.
Misha quickly glanced at where Genesis and Arlo were, confirming that from that angle, they shouldn’t be able to see his expression. So he hurriedly blinked at the Hero, trying to hint at the oddity of the situation. But the Hero only frowned and actually blinked back at him.
Misha: “…”
Why are you blinking!
Dammit! Isn’t this guy usually very smart!
Hurry up and catch my meaning!
After a moment of silence, Lance frowned slightly and said, “Go ahead.”
Misha opened his mouth, still unable to think of an insulting line. He could only let out a contemptuous sneer, his mind racing to think of how to hint at the situation. But it was precisely because of this short pause that Genesis and Arlo couldn’t take it anymore. They seemed far more nervous than Misha. Genesis even poked her head out from behind the tree, gesturing to hint at what Misha should do next.
Misha was startled. One had to know that the Hero was always extremely alert; any rustle in the grass would be noticed immediately. It was already dangerous for Genesis and Arlo to be eavesdropping behind the tree. For Genesis to actually lean out to look at him—was she afraid the Hero wouldn’t find them?
Just as Misha was feeling nervous, he saw Genesis raise her hand. A faint light shimmered in her palm. She made a series of extremely complex gestures, first tracing something in her palm, then pointing at the Hero, and finally nodding at Misha, as if telling him to be at ease.
Misha: “…”
Misha actually understood. The faint light in Genesis’s palm looked like the residue of an illusion spell. In other words, Genesis had cast an illusion on the Hero. Under these circumstances, Lance wouldn’t be able to see her or Arlo, but he could see Misha. Since Misha wasn’t the target of her illusion, he wasn’t affected. What he saw was the truth.
But here was the problem. Misha knew that the current Yong Zhe was no ordinary one. Lance possessed the power of a High God. Genesis’s illusion wouldn’t work on him at all. If Lance just glanced to the side, he would see Genesis gesturing and cheering Misha on.
He already saw Lance nonchalantly glance that way, clearly having seen everything Genesis was doing. But he calmly withdrew his gaze, pretending he saw nothing, and asked Misha with a slight smile, “What is it?”
Misha: “…”
Misha really didn’t want to speak. But he thought that since the Hero could see Genesis and Arlo nearby, the Hero would surely understand that Misha’s next actions were forced. With the Hero’s brain, it should be easy to figure out what was going on. Besides, he had his beautiful big wings! He could spread them to block Arlo and Genesis’s view and take the opportunity to explain everything to the Hero.
He had no choice but to brace himself. Misha let out another fierce, cold laugh and shouted, “You foolish Yong Zhe!”
Although he didn’t remember the insults, it didn’t matter. The Hero would play along.
Lance just looked at him oddly in silence. He hadn’t expected that one day, Misha would be qualified to call him foolish.
Misha: “Heh, you must not have seen through my identity!”
Lance: “…”
Hadn’t I discovered that on the very first day?
Lance slightly shifted his gaze, looking inconspicuously at Genesis and Arlo to Misha’s right. They thought their illusion was excellent and that everything was well-hidden, so they were frantically using hand gestures to remind Misha. Their script had changed; it wasn’t about revealing his identity to make him angry anymore. Their current script was for Misha to confess to him!
Lance didn’t understand the mess of hand gestures at all. But seeing how nervous Misha was, he felt he roughly understood the predicament. In this situation, he had no choice but to try his best to cooperate with Misha.
Lance sighed, feeling utterly helpless, yet he couldn’t bring himself to act. He could only look up at Misha and wait in silence for Misha’s next move.
Misha: “I…”
Misha nervously glanced at Genesis and Arlo.
Misha: “Haha, you must have thought I was your Divine Envoy!”
Lance: “…I never thought that.”
Misha: “?”
Wait, something seems wrong.
Misha frowned, but then he saw Genesis working hard to gesture to him. She first pressed her hands together to form a heart shape, then mimicked wings, and finally waved her hand to show that was wrong.
Misha: “…”
Misha remembered. They had just changed the plan. The current version was for him to confess to the Hero to bewitch him, and then Misha would capture him and bring him back to the Mo Wang Cheng.
But…
Whatever. He couldn’t care anymore! He wouldn’t say those words!
Misha stared intently at the Hero before him and finally took a deep breath. He spread the black and red wings behind him, successfully blocking Genesis and Arlo’s view. Then he lowered his voice, whispering with some unease, “I… I know it’s sudden, but I really forgot before.”
Lance: “…”
Misha added in a small voice, “I was also forced into this.”
Lance: “…”
He watched as Misha was enveloped in a faint black and red light. For a moment, it nearly surrounded him entirely. Then the light faded, and the brown hair turned deep crimson, making his skin look even paler. Misha slowly opened his eyes, his red vertical pupils shimmering as they fixed on Lance.
Lance didn’t speak. He just looked at Misha. He saw the sharp horns emerging from the hair, the long tail hanging behind, and the pointed ears trembling slightly as Misha floated in mid-air with his magic. He frowned, and before he could speak, Misha was already staring at him nervously.
“Did… didn’t expect it, did you! I—”
“Okay, okay.” Lance reached out. Since Misha was floating slightly, he stood on his tiptoes and gently patted Misha’s head. “I know you’re the Mo Wang.”
Misha: “…”
Wait. That was it? That was the only reaction?
He looked up and saw a slight smile on the Hero’s lips. That expression clearly showed that he had long ago discovered Misha’s identity and was simply waiting for him to say it.
No, this was all wrong. Since when did the Hero know?!
Misha had countless questions, and he really wanted to ask what was going on. But he remembered that Genesis and Arlo were nearby. Although he was blocking their view for now, if they moved slightly to the side, they would see the Hero patting his head.
Misha grew even more nervous. He pulled his wings tighter, shielding both him and the Hero completely. Then he spoke with great anxiety, but only managed to say a “You” before Lance stood on his tiptoes again to lean in.
“Lord Mo Wang,” Lance whispered, “are you going to capture me?”
Misha: “Eh?”
He was going to take the Hero away, but how did the Hero know?
Lance: “If you don’t take me away, it’ll be hard to wrap this up, won’t it?”
Misha: “…”
He figured this was likely just the Hero’s guess. But looking at that slight smile on the Hero’s face, he couldn’t help but feel he was being teased. He grew irritated, and even the Hero before him started looking less pleasing to the eye.
“Shut up,” Misha said crossly. “You’re my prisoner now!”
Lance arched an eyebrow but still smiled at Misha. “Yes, I am your slave now.”
Misha: “…”
Misha grabbed the Hero’s arm, pulled him close, and prepared to take flight. He cursed under his breath, “I said shut up—you bastard Hero!”
Translator’s Note: Phew! What a reveal! It turns out our cheeky Hero, Lance, knew Misha was the Mo Wang the whole time. It really puts all their previous interactions in a new light, doesn’t it? Lance is definitely a veteran of many worlds. Also, the Sheng Nü (Saintess) of the Snowy Mountain Temple is such a common trope in cultivation and fantasy novels, but here it’s just a cover for our tiny goddess Genesis.
Key Terms in this Chapter:
- Sheng Jie (神界): The Divine Realm.
- Yi Jie Zhi Men (异界之门): The Interdimensional Gate.
- Sheng Nü (圣女): Saintess.
- Da Zhu Ji (大主祭): High Priest.
- Yong Zhe (勇者): The Hero.
- Mo Wang (魔王): The Demon King/Demon Lord.
- Sheng Di (圣地): Holy Land/Sacred Ground.
- Mo Wang Cheng (魔王城): The Demon King’s Castle.
See you in the next chapter!
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