"You guys look!" Clervie exclaimed, her surprise evident on her face as she looked at the black-clad figures lying on the ground.
The black-clad figures on the ground began to melt.
It was as if ice cubes were melting into water under high heat—those people, for some unknown reason, gradually melted into a puddle of black, slimy liquid, leaving only their clothes behind.
In less than ten seconds, all the black-clad figures had completely melted away.
The puddles of black liquid on the ground looked like oily sludge, making one feel nauseous.
"It seems I was wrong," Yu Xie said, his brows slightly furrowed. "These people weren't just here to cause trouble for us. They're probably the death warriors of some powerful figure."
"Death warriors..." Clervie repeated softly, her pupils trembling slightly.
Without Yu Xie explicitly saying it, it wasn't hard to guess who that powerful figure was.
In this Hearth Manor, who could possibly have a higher status than a "Knave"?
"Let's go back for now, and pretend nothing happened," Yu Xie said, his gaze gradually sharpening, almost glinting with a cold light in the night.
...
The next day.
Yu Xie woke up from his sleep, and the familiar ceiling greeted him.
He slowly sat up, his mind deep in thought.
Ninety-nine days left.
With his life nearing its end, there was more of a sense of calm than anything else in his heart.
Although he didn't remember the life he had lived before, and didn't know what his state of mind would have been at this point in his past life, he strangely felt that this moment was somewhat familiar.
Of course, familiar as it was, along with the calmness, there was still a lingering sense of reluctance.
After a long silence, Yu Xie got out of bed, dressed, tidied up the room, and stepped outside.
After a simple breakfast, he had only taken a few steps down the hallway when he unexpectedly ran into Peruere.
The two of them stopped and looked at each other.
"Where are you going?" Peruere asked first.
"I'm planning to find you," Yu Xie replied.
"Find me?"
"Do you have time? Shall we go somewhere else to talk?"
...
Under that same tree.
Yu Xie and Peruere sat side by side.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Yu Xie asked.
"I remember. I was watching Bambi. It was about to die," Peruere replied.
"At that time, I was thinking about how to get along with you," Yu Xie said with a smile, almost as if mocking himself. "When I first met you, I had the feeling you might not be easy to get along with."
"Since you thought I wouldn't be easy to get along with when we first met, why did you still want to get along with me?" Peruere turned her head to look at Yu Xie, her eyes seemingly waiting for an answer.
"Do you remember what I said before, that I joined Hearth Manor because of a personal selfish reason?" Yu Xie also turned his head, meeting Peruere's gaze.
"I remember."
"Do you want to know what that selfish reason is?"
"..." Peruere fell silent for a moment. "You tell me."
"I wanted to meet two people. One is called Peruere, and the other is called Clervie."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a look of confusion gradually spread across Peruere's eyes, along with a surprise and emotional reaction that was rarely seen in her usual expression.
"You already knew about me and Clervie?"
"Mm." Yu Xie nodded. "I knew both of you were at Hearth Manor, so that's why I came here."
"Why? Clervie and I came to Hearth Manor when we were very young. Before that, we should have... never met, right?" Peruere searched her memories, trying to recall any trace of Yu Xie, but no matter how thoroughly she combed through every possible corner of her past, she couldn't find anything.
"You've never met me. I saw both of you from behind the glass," Yu Xie said with a smile, glancing into the distance before turning back to meet Peruere's gaze. "If I told you I fell in love with you at first sight, would you think I'm being too frivolous?"
Peruere, however, didn't react too strongly. She simply gave Yu Xie a slightly helpless look.
She couldn't quite tell if Yu Xie was joking or being serious.
"If you really fell in love with me at first sight and went so far as to join Hearth Manor just to meet me, then I honestly wouldn't know whether to praise you or scold you," Peruere said.
Yu Xie didn't continue on that topic. Instead, he smiled and looked into the distance, remaining silent.
"So, you really joined Hearth Manor just to meet me and Clervie, putting the rest of your life on the line?" After a long pause, Peruere asked softly.
"Exactly." Yu Xie nodded.
"Not worth it." Peruere's eyes were complex, as though filled with various tangled thoughts.
"There's no such thing as 'worth it' or 'not worth it,' only whether you want to do it or not," Yu Xie said with a smile. "Like I said before, life is short. If there's something you want to do, and you don't do it now, you might never get the chance again."
"But I still think you're an idiot. You could have lived a normal life in the outside world without entering the Hearth Manor."
"You're not wrong," Yu Xie said, but then trailed off, unable to finish his thought.
But if that were the case... what would happen to you and Clervie?
Clervie would die by your sword, even if it wasn't intentional, and you'd still be heartbroken, wouldn't you?
I don't want to see you two facing each other with swords, and I don't want to see Clervie die.
You don't have to go through the "baptism of friends turning against each other" to become the next "Knave." Clervie must live on and see the wonders of this world. It's her dream.
You both should have a more brilliant life.
As for me... it's fine. I have my next life. In the next life, I'll live a simpler one.
"Maybe we'll meet again in the next life, but by then, I might not recognize you, and maybe you won't recognize me either."
"That would be fine."
"But what about it?" Peruere asked, her expression serious.
"It's nothing," Yu Xie said with a smile, shaking his head. "Anyway, I've already come to Hearth Manor. That can't be changed now. There's no use talking about it. Oh, by the way, Peruere, is there anything in particular you want to do?"
"Don't change the subject." Peruere's gaze was sharp, almost like a blade. She rarely looked at Yu Xie and Clervie with such an intense expression.
"If there's something you want to do, just say it. I'll help you make it happen," Yu Xie replied with a smile.
Peruere hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit uncertain.
She wasn't sure why, but whenever she was with Yu Xie, she always felt somewhat weaker, whether it was in swordsmanship or other aspects.
Yu Xie didn't want to talk about it, and she knew she couldn't force him to speak.
"Tell me when you're ready. I'll listen carefully."
"Alright."
"Sure enough, I still think you're very foolish. Just for that reason, you got yourself into this situation..." Peruere shifted her gaze away from Yu Xie.
"It's fine, trust me," Yu Xie said without thinking too much, reaching out and placing his hand on Peruere's head.
Peruere froze.
She had originally thought she would strongly reject such physical contact, but now, she didn't mind it at all. In fact, it made her feel strangely at ease.
End of chapter
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