Hatred...
Rose Vesper.
The woman Qin Chu once loved most was also the one who hurt him the deepest.
He had almost forgotten that at the first summoning, a banquet was held at the foot of the mountain to welcome and cleanse him of his journey. After Mr. Zimmerman had simply explained the current situation in the Sky Dome Continent, it was this woman who came up the mountain to invite him to the banquet.
Under the moonlight, pure, holy, she remained just as beautiful.
He remembered well that the moment he first laid eyes on Rose Vesper in such a state, he had fallen in love at first sight.
"Hey, keep calm, whatever you do, don't go berserk. If you do, it's all over." Shaye warned in Qin Chu's ear.
Shaye could understand Qin Chu; suddenly seeing the perpetrator of his tragic death, anyone would struggle to stay calm!
But he must control himself!
His hands clenched tightly, veins bulging on his arms, his fingernails almost piercing into his palms. He took a deep breath all of a sudden, relying on his own will and the Power of Compulsory Calmness, he finally managed to control his rage. Shaye was right, he was no match for Rose Vesper now.
"Thank you..."
"Hmph, I didn't do it for you. I just don't want to end up dead alongside you," Shaye snorted and muttered.
A few seconds later, he finally lifted his head and looked at Rose Vesper opposite him again. By then, he had regained his composure, perhaps because of the anger just now, even a flush of red appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Rose Vesper's expression also seemed strange. The man opposite her had suddenly stared at her with wide eyes, fixing her with a gaze that made Rose Vesper feel somewhat afraid.
"Sorry, I lost my composure for a moment there, got stunned," said Qin Chu, seemingly shy.
With these words, the fear in Rose Vesper's heart gradually disappeared. So the man had been staring at her because he was shocked by her beauty?
What a revolting thing indeed. This man had probably never seen a woman as beautiful as herself, had he?
Rose Vesper couldn't help feeling a bit smug inside, and she thought of Lord Jie Luo. The first time Lord Jie Luo saw her, his reaction had been the same; she felt shy and a little delighted. But in this man, it only left a visceral disgust.
There can be only one Hero, and that is Lord Jie Luo, this damned imposter!
On the other side, the Great Sage Nadia's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, feeling annoyed for no particular reason.
Rose Vesper was a born actress; no matter how much she despised him inside, her face showed nothing of it, even blushing slightly. She glazed at Qin Chu coyly, oozing charm.
With Rose Vesper's hospitality, Qin Chu and the Thirteen Sages made their way down the mountain.
Along the way, Rose Vesper seemed very curious about the Hero, walking side by side with him, acting quite affectionate. When she heard that Qin Chu had two Super Order Powers, her big eyes sparkled even more, showing her delight.
Yet inside, she harbored venomous thoughts. This damned bastard, he actually possessed Power that was superior to Lord Jie Luo's?
Unforgivable!
Qin Chu dealt with Rose Vesper. Although he hated this woman to his core, he couldn't help but admire her skills. They were truly formidable.
This woman had an innocent and pure appearance, which easily won her the favor of the opposite sex. Her appropriate distance stimulated an illusion of interest.
Yet, when you really wanted to get closer, the woman would reject you with absolutely correct reasoning.
She was also good at using all her advantages.
She rejected the Hero but was the closest person to the Hero, effectively occupying the position of the Hero's girlfriend.
Wherever the Hero appeared, Rose Vesper would be there, making people subconsciously credit her with a part of the Hero's accomplishments.
In his previous life, Rose Vesper had used this perfectly to solidify her core position in the Hero Team. Coupled with the status of Holy Daughter, her prestige among the people grew higher and higher, answering to no one. Her status and influence even surpassed the Pope of the Holy Court, becoming the chairwoman of the highest council in the Sky Dome Continent after the war.
Mr. Zimmerman also stayed by Nadia's side, glanced at the expressionless Nadia, and whispered words of comfort: "Nadia, you've been wronged."
Undoubtedly, this referred to Qin Chu's previous disrespectful behavior.
Nadia shook her head slightly, her eyelids dropped: "It's alright, I know what's more important for the Sky Dome Continent."
Mr. Zimmerman felt somewhat gratified; his disciple had finally grown up.
Just then, Qin Chu's voice came from ahead: "Mr. Zimmerman, may I return to my original world?"
Mr. Zimmerman's response came unequivocally: "Of course, once the Demon issue has been resolved, we can send you back to your original world."
"Is that so, that's really great."
This was a lie.
Once in this world, there's no chance to return. After killing the Eternal Monarch and sealing the Dark Witch for the first time during the first week, Qin Chu found Mr. Zimmerman, who bluntly stated that he had lied.
Following the winding steep mountain path, they descended all the way to where several carriages were parked at the foot of the mountain.
Rose Vesper pulled Qin Chu into the frontmost carriage, as she had already begun to establish her special status by the side of the Hero.
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
The carriage moved forward on the rugged road, and before long, a giant city came into view.
The city walls, towering over twenty meters high, were grandly built with huge boulders, extremely sturdy. Even if fierce Demons were to directly assault the city, the giant city would remain unscathed.
This here, would later become the Holy City.
Now, it was the Imperial City of the Oville Empire.
As the carriage entered the city, the air seemed filled with a revolting mix of decay and stench, nauseating to anyone who breathed it in. Despite the late hour, one could still see a hunchbacked sanitation worker in a filthy skirt, cleaning up the rubbish from the pitted road.
Possibly accustomed to such a life, her expression was numb as she mechanically swept the filth from the ground. She couldn't allow any trash to remain on the street, or the inspectors would dock a week's worth of her wages the next day.
Suddenly, she saw a piece of torn fabric, and a glimmer of light sparked in her dull, sluggish eyes. It must have been discarded by some wealthy person; she could take it home to make a piece of clothing for her child.
Qin Chu knew it was something that Nobles would put on their pets, and having dirtied it, would carelessly throw it away.
On both sides of the street, on the somewhat smoother ground, there were many unemployed vagrants laying about, covered only with a thin sheet of newspaper. Even though it was summer, they were still shivering.
A malnourished girl, emaciated due to poor nutrition, was almost entirely inside a garbage bin as she frantically searched through it.
Finally, she found a chicken bone that hadn't been fully picked clean. Her eyes lit up and just as she was about to taste what was a luxurious treat to her, a group of children suddenly sprang out and snatched the bone away, leaving the girl standing dumbfounded, with tears brimming in her eyes.
Several seconds passed before she once again immersed her tiny body into the pile of garbage. She knew if she didn't find something to eat, she would starve. The instinct to survive propped up her small frame as she struggled in this cold world.
Qin Chu's fingers trembled slightly, but he ultimately controlled himself.
He still remembered how during the first week, he couldn't bear it and had stopped the carriage, borrowing a hundred Mana from Rose Vesper to give to the girl so she could buy bread to fill her stomach.
But at that time, he didn't realize that a hundred Mana, to the commoners of this world, was a huge sum of money. Right after he left, the girl was surrounded by other orphans who took the money he had given and even broke the girl's legs. From then on, she could only get around in a wheelchair.
Rose Vesper looked sad too, "Lately the number of orphans has increased several fold. Even the Church can't help every single one of them."
Qin Chu quietly asked, "Why?"
"Because of the Demon attacks, their parents died on the frontlines..." Rose Vesper answered softly.
Bullshit!
The sanitation workers labored until now purely because the Nobles, who held power and wealth in the Empire, didn't want to spend more money in this area or hire more people.
These orphans, though their parents died in battle, according to the Empire's laws, the families of soldiers killed in action should receive a significant pension.
But looking at this, it seemed these orphans probably hadn't even heard the word pension.
Even the property left by their parents had been plundered from them.
Full of sorrow, Rose Vesper once again caught Qin Chu's hand, cradling his rough palm to her chest.
Her body trembled with emotion, and her soft golden hair swayed, as her green, watery eyes looked up at Qin Chu from beneath.
One couldn't deny that this woman knew how to use her Charm to bewitch men.
The gesture, complemented by her beautiful visage, was devastatingly effective.
Moreover, the unintentional and subtle physical contact through the trembling of her body was enough to make any man's heart race.
"Mr. Brave, I beg you, please save this world," Rose Vesper implored.
This time, Qin Chu didn't foolishly agree right away like he did in the first week, but frowned deeply, "I also want to help this world, but... I'm worried about my abilities..."
"No, Mr. Brave, please don't doubt yourself. God has given the oracle, you are the hero of the Sky Dome Continent, the fate of its countless children will change because of you!"
"You seem to believe in the oracles a lot?"
"Of course, for the children of the Sky Dome Continent, the oracle is the highest decree." As soon as she finished speaking, Rose Vesper seemed to suddenly remember something, and her pretty face turned red in an instant.
Her previously lifted head dropped slightly and after a while, she slightly raised it with a shy look, stealing a glance at Qin Chu.
"What is it, did the oracle say something else?" Qin Chu raised an eyebrow, sneering inwardly, I'll just quietly watch your performance.
Let's see what kind of flower you can conjure.
Rose Vesper seemed to grow even shyer, and after a long while, she finally muttered softly, "The oracle... the oracle also said... the Hero, will, will be my... my destined lover..."
After uttering these words, Rose Vesper shamefully covered her face with her hands, the blush spreading even to her ears.
Pah, shameless woman!
Exactly how should I get revenge on this woman...