Chapter 185: Let the Doom Wait
The sounds of cutlery and clinking glasses filled the hall that had been carefully prepared to celebrate Thalassa’s return. She could see many familiar faces she hadn’t seen in a long time; some looked at her with genuine happiness, while others seemed to regard her with disapproval. Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t come alone, and a part of the marine nobility was extremely radical—unless, of course, the situation benefited them.
Her gaze turned toward "Zakaer."
Clearly, he didn’t belong to her race either, yet all the nobles present were treating him as if he were the brightest star of the night.
Then she fixed her eyes on Xana; the wolf girl continued to watch the food and every new detail with enthusiasm. And if she looked at the man beside her, he was the complete opposite. Maybe that was why she should be even more grateful for the arrival of the wolf woman—her hyperactivity helped ease the atmosphere.
"Master, don’t worry about their stares. Any friend of yours is welcome in Azure," the princess consoled her in a low voice.
"Who is he, Lumia? Are you really going to marry him?"
"Mmm... my father already arranged it," the princess replied, avoiding her gaze and clearly not wanting to continue the topic.
Thalassa changed the subject: "And Nereon... they said he came back. Where is he? What did he tell you?"
"He should be on the outskirts. He said he needed to make sure everything was fine around the perimeter. Ereon went to do the same on my father’s orders after hearing his concerns. Though, if Nereon—who has reached the Transcendent level—can’t handle it, it’s possible no one here can, except my father." She said the last part with a touch of admiration and grace, yet it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Thalassa’s expression darkened; she gripped the armrest of her seat tightly to hold herself back.
If Nereon wanted to play the infiltrator and go unnoticed, playing along might be the best option. He probably believed the only threat in this place was King Oreon.
Although... her eyes drifted toward Zakaer.
He should know about that supposed external help. Was he also an enemy?
She shook her head to dispel those thoughts; it didn’t matter.
Her gaze returned to Cassian, who was sitting beside her, along with Lumia. No matter what they did, everyone would end up the same in front of this monster.
Thalassa leaned toward him, close enough to show an unusual intimacy that everyone in the hall noticed.
"Nereon isn’t here," she whispered softly.
"I know," he replied dryly.
She met his eyes. "He’s the one who destroyed Hidria."
"I know," he answered again, sounding bored.
Thalassa made an annoyed face because he didn’t seem to be paying enough attention to the matter. She brought her face close to his and asked, "What are we going to do? Are you going to make him explode in a shower of blood? Are we going to torture him until we squeeze out every piece of information and then execute him mercilessly? And the corrupted beasts? He’s surely with them. If we catch him off guard..."
"Thalassa," his cold eyes and hoarse voice stopped her frantic tirade. "Why don’t you enjoy the fact that you’re back? It seems like your homeland has more problems than just the corrupted beasts. I’ll take care of that last part, so don’t tell me what you want me to do; I know exactly who I need to deal with. And when?... When it fits me."
The siren sighed, letting go of her earlier unrestrained emotion and returning to her elegant calm. She sat properly in her seat.
"Fine," she said firmly, her gaze shifting from Zakaer to Lumia. The latter seemed to avoid the former with fear the entire time. "I’ll leave that to you..."
...
In Valvradis.
Xingyue had been guided to a room and told to "rest." The first thing she did once she was alone was furiously throw the cloak that completely covered her onto the floor.
She bit the inside of her cheek as she began pacing anxiously around the room; her steps were erratic and her mind kept repeating: Patience, patience... Master wants me to investigate, investigate... Investigate WHAT?! What could possibly be in this low-level world? Why didn’t the master just let Nyx stay with it and return with them to the sect?
She shook her head quickly. No, she had to go see him; surely a bunch of annoyances had approached him in the time he’d been alone...
She stopped abruptly in the middle of the room.
But I just saw him recently... she thought, hesitating for a second. Then Cassian’s words echoed in her head: "You can come whenever you want, Xingyue."
The younger sister’s eyes suddenly lit up. He really had said that, right? Either way, she assured herself it would be a quick visit; she would recharge with her master’s delicious energy and return quickly to figure out what the hell was happening in this place.
...
In an unknown location...
BOOM! A concentration of mana collided against one of the walls of a place that seemed specially reinforced to withstand such impacts.
"No, it’s not enough," the agitated voice of a woman was heard.
BOOM! came the response. An even stronger concentration, carrying traces of a difficult-to-distinguish affinity, echoed once again in the training room. The woman clenched her fist.
"No, this still isn’t enough."
Traces of purple mana began to swirl around her; it seemed there was an element that resonated strongly with the determination in those purple eyes that refused to give up.
"Margery, stop," an authoritative yet gentle voice filled with concern interrupted her.
The younger woman turned her angry gaze toward the newcomer—someone who looked very physically similar to her. Margery’s brow furrowed; then she fixed her eyes on Cassane, who was following the older woman.
"Don’t stop me. I’m going to break through the limit today."
Diana heard this clearly but showed no doubt. She trusted that Margery could achieve it, but she didn’t want it to happen this way. "You’ve been at this all day. There’s no rush with these things, Margery."
The young woman’s angry face slowly softened. She released her clenched fist and collapsed to the floor from exhaustion, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Cassane approached and sat beside her. Diana seemed to want to do the same, but knowing her daughter still viewed her with distrust, she decided to leave the room to give them some time alone. Margery rested her head on Cassane’s shoulder, hiding her face in pain while constantly biting her lips and fiercely scratching the corners of her fingers with her nails.
"He can’t be dead..."
"I sincerely believe your brother is dead, Margery," Cassane said with complete certainty.
Margery stopped the movement of her fingers and grabbed Cassane’s clothes tightly. She pulled away abruptly and shouted in anger: "You’re lying! You want him all to yourself! You’re jealous because he’ll never look at you with the same affection he shows me!" She pushed her and moved away, refusing to look at her face again.
"You know it’s true," Cassane spoke again. "He was never your brother, because your brother died a long time ago, Margery. This explains so many things..." whispered the "Ice Queen," ignoring how much Margery’s words hurt her more than she wanted to admit.
The black-haired woman brought a finger to her mouth and began biting it, tearing at the skin frantically. Cassane simply watched her in silence.
Diana returned after hearing they had calmed down. She entered hesitantly, but her presence immediately made Margery and Cassane exchange a knowing glance. They turned toward the older woman and said at the same time:
"We want to go back."