What fascinated Lola about Faust was not just his ability to satisfy her maternal instincts; the prince could both demand everything from you and give everything in return.
The way he could evoke both a desire to protect and a sense of absolute security in the same woman meant his emotional value was through the roof.
"Sigh, Lola... To be tamed by a man like this, you're really embarrassing the rest of us."
Selena shook her head with a light chuckle upon seeing this, picking up a bright red apple and pressing a light kiss to its skin.
"As for you, you really can't stay still, can you? Do you need our help?"
Faust glanced at Viviana and shook his head.
"My method only ensures that I can enter and leave the Fog Moon Kingdom alone. It would actually be inconvenient to bring you along."
With the protection of Mephistopheles, Faust felt he could immediately retreat if things turned sour; with his current strength, escaping shouldn't be a problem.
However, if the 【witch】 were to join in, things would no longer be a laughing matter. Under the trait of a 【witch】 that could scramble the tracks of fate, it would be impossible to flee regardless of the situation inside the Fog Moon Kingdom.
Our side promises not to be the first to deploy a witch!
The unpredictability was simply too high. Faust did not intend to rely on the power of the 【witch】 for everything; using a trump card as a basic attack was not a good habit.
Seeing that Faust intended to go alone, Selena nodded and waved her hand.
"Fine then. I wish you a smooth journey and great fortune in battle."
"Wait, aren't you going to try and stop me at all?"
Snow White's calm acceptance of their parting made Faust feel a bit out of place.
"What is there to stop? No matter how cynical I am, I will not stop a man from embarking on a heroic journey. I believe you will be fine, and even if something does happen, it matters not."
Selena tilted her chin slightly, her voice calm yet chillingly cold.
"Because I will avenge you. Every single soul who harms you... along with their entire bloodline and every member of their family, I swear to make them suffer the most horrific pain before they die, until every trace of their existence is utterly erased."
She was not joking. The black-haired girl spoke with such sincerity that those cold, poisonous words didn't seem to belong to a witch representing truth, goodness, and beauty at all.
Viviana added, "And then we will follow you in death."
Selena readily agreed, "Exactly. To live and die together is our engagement vow. You can't even dream of escaping it in this lifetime."
".............."
Though he was moved, could they stop talking about following him to the grave? He was truly afraid that their resentment might actually sacrifice him one day!
Did they know? As the darlings of fate, one could eat whatever they wanted, but one could not say whatever they wanted.
Oh, right, they actually didn't know. If they did, it would be an even bigger problem.
In any case, Faust had finalized his plan to explore the Fog Moon Kingdom.
He never believed that a steamroller-style expansion would allow him to truly transcend. The recent period of conquest was more of a change of pace and relaxation.
To truly progress, he had to venture into a 【script】, offering a frantic and elegant performance to supreme fate; only then could he receive rewards.
This rule applied to everyone from fairies to mortals across the world.
Thus, after spending a few more days of tenderness with his lovers, Faust set out. He crossed the furthest borders of the Midwinter Kingdom's sphere of influence to seek the land legendary for being locked away by the gods.
"Is this the gateway to the Fog Moon Kingdom?"
Faust frowned as he surveyed the black forest before him.
Even though it was daytime, the light could not pierce the darkness and haze of the forest at all, as if this were an alien realm completely out of step with the outside world.
Just looking at its exterior, it already felt extremely ominous.
【It cannot be called a gateway; it is simply that this locked nation does not particularly reject outsiders. If a son of man barges in without a guide, he will surely lose his way. Whether he can actually enter the kingdom depends entirely on luck.】
"So, I just need to walk in, right?"
Mephistopheles could naturally point the way for Faust. Though the fairy used all sorts of foul language in private, Faust's trust in his contract fairy was genuine.
Mephisto really was a cheat engine.
Thus, Faust walked straight into the black forest, and a thick mist immediately surged up, concealing the path ahead.
As he went deeper, Faust actually began to feel lightheaded and dizzy.
【Deep breaths. The dizziness is normal.】
Under Mephistopheles's guidance, Faust did not take any detours and passed through the forest with steady strides.
When he saw a light, the prince quickened his pace, eagerly looking toward the source.
Then, he froze.
It was a blood-colored full moon, hanging in a clear night sky, shedding a crimson light.
The moment he gazed upon the blood moon, a massive will poured into Faust's mind, sounding like ten thousand bronze bells exploding in his head:
【Foreigners who step into this land, if you desire the favor and rewards of the god, then join this Hunt.】
【The great god remains innocent and unrestrained today, exchanging passion so that life never tires.】
【Slaughter, slaughter, slaughter! Slaughter shall be rewarded!】
【Drink the blood, drink the murky madness, roar, and end the long cry of the night!】
【Offer bruises to the blood moon, offer purity, offer the life-water of beasts, and all of your desires shall be satisfied.】
【Tonight, please join the Hunt.】
....................
Beneath the sky mirrored by the blood moon, amidst towering Gothic architecture.
Shouts of slaughter, hisses, howls... everything was interlaced, indistinguishable from one another.
The thick scent of blood stimulated all living things to release their instinctive bloodlust.
"Another night of the hunt, and it's raining too. How annoying."
Alkin felt extremely agitated by everything happening before her. she kept tapping her feet against the floorboards wet with the rain, making a rhythmic splashing sound.
The fluffy tail behind her also swayed irritably from side to side, feeling incredibly heavy now that it was soaked by the rain.
It was not because of the merciless, bloody, and cruel "Hunt" taking place before her; a hunter was already used to such things.
Alkin only felt... a deep sense of exhaustion and boredom.
It was tedious, to an almost inconceivable degree. It felt as if she were doing the same thing day after day.
Hunt, hunt, hunt... she was exhausted from the constant running.
If it were for a glorious and brilliant battle, it would be one thing, but no matter how many beasts and enemies she slaughtered, it never brought a true victory.
It was merely to maintain the survival of the hunter troupe.
What was the point of doing all this? Was it simply to fulfill her duty as a hunter and as a descendant of Grandmother?
Alkin's pure white hair hung down in the rain, sticking to her cheeks, while her equally clear and ethereal eyes looked down at the blood-stained paving stones.
After a long while, she decided to ignore her quota and turned to leave. She distanced herself from the town that had turned into a slaughterhouse and arrived at her carriage parked in the outskirts.
She then took a book of poetry out from the inner pocket of her coat, opening it to savor the words carefully.
This was a rare form of entertainment for Alkin. In the dim life of the Fog Moon Kingdom, poetry was the only thing she loved that allowed her to relax.
Alkin crossed her legs, resting the book of poetry on her lap as she gently ran her fingers over the smooth texture of the pages, softly chanting the beautiful words.
She never tired of reading them.
Whenever Alkin savored these beautiful and soul-stirring pieces of art, she could always temporarily escape from the gloom and oppression of reality.
"Boom—"
At that moment, a massive roar interrupted Alkin's leisure. She turned her head to look at the orange-yellow lightning streaking across the sky not far away and tilted her head.
"A thunder spell?"
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