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Chapter 103: What is Love, What is Evil

The girl had a tall and slender figure, her light short clothing accentuating the full and graceful curve of her chest, while her handsome and poised demeanor instilled a sense of safety and trust. She knelt on one knee, her delicate bare feet, only slightly wrapped in unusual satin, resting on the clean floor, her beautiful eyes gently closing as she bowed her head to the black-haired girl lost by the window.

“Master, I miss you so much.”

“Xiao Guang…”

Hearing the Dragon Girl’s whimpering voice, as if abandoned like a puppy, even the otherwise calm-hearted Priestess felt a ripple of tenderness rise within her, nodding silently.

“I often think of you too.”

At these words, the Blonde Girl lifted her head, her golden vertical pupils shimmering like the sun but tinged with an unfamiliar sadness.

“Why did you leave without a word, Master? Did Xiao Guang do something wrong to upset you? Do you not want me anymore?”

The Priestess, with silver-blue eyes, met her gaze without avoidance, but could only respond helplessly.

“Silly girl, first you must remember, no matter what you do or wish to do, even if you’re at odds with the entire world, I will never abandon you. You… are my most important family and companion.”

“Master just feels that if it’s truly for your own good, you cannot forever rely on me as your guardian. While you are my dear pet Vilyric, you are also a noble and powerful sacred crystal dragon. You should have your own pursuits, hopes, and life, not merely existing as my vassal.”

“I hope one day to hear from others, ‘You are the contract holder of the White Dragon Lord?’ instead of ‘Vilyric, is this your pet?’ This is what I expect of you.”

“It is precisely because I love you so much that I must do this, Xiao Guang… Can you understand? If it really is you, you should be able to understand, right?”

“Master…”

The brilliance in the Dragon Girl’s golden eyes flickered, the sorrow gradually fading, replaced by pure longing and desire.

She lowered her head again, presenting her smooth golden hair and elegant dragon horns, showing the most private part of her dragon lineage to Vilyric, like a puppy obediently exposing its belly.

“Could you… pat my head like before?”

“……”

The black-haired girl didn’t speak, but just like countless times before, she raised her hand and gently placed it on her pet’s silky hair, offering her long-awaited warmth.

This moment of peace seemed exceptionally distant and prolonged.

As the light and shadow began to dissipate like bubbles, familiar scenes rippled into nothingness, leaving only the intertwined figures of the two girls.

After the intimate and pure interaction ended, the Dragon Girl raised her head, her platinum tail swaying with renewed vitality, smiling with relief.

“Master, I will wait for your return, no matter how long it takes, I will always wait for you. Please don’t worry, just go do what you want to do, Xiao Guang… will never be a burden to you.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”

Nodding, the last traces of light lifted into the sky, while the Dragon Girl turned into a scattering of light.

Raising her hand, the black-haired girl felt the lingering warmth and faint longing in her palm, mingled with a slight bitterness she had never experienced before, as if she understood something.

“Is this… love?”

…

North of the Ost Empire, in the Lanas Province.

In a beautifully adorned vast cave, the coiled platinum giant dragon finished her dreams and slowly awakened.

Listening to the distant hustle and bustle outside the cave, catching a whiff of the now somewhat familiar “worshippers” scent, the giant dragon transformed into a long-forgotten human form in the light.

Her pale, jade-like fingers instinctively brushed away moisture from the corner of her eyes, while her radiant golden pupils reflected warmth and relief unseen by any outsiders.

“Master, I will wait for you. Everything… is as you wish.”

Once again, she transformed into a dragon, rising and heading towards the cave entrance, igniting cheers that would soon follow the mountain collapse and tsunami.

…

On the other side.

Having passed through five of the seven emotions, the trial endowed by the “Gate of Humanity” was nearing its end.

Next should be “Evil.”

The space twisted slightly, as the girl sorted her thoughts and waited silently.

Suddenly, a sound of breaking air surged from behind her!

Vilyric did not hesitate, swinging the slender holy staff that appeared in her hand without looking back, resonating with a sharp “ding!”

“……”

The weight in her hand suggested an extraordinary presence.

After the strike, the Priestess finally turned around to see the figure before her.

She instantly turned dazed.

“So this is what I personally deem as ‘evil.'”

Not the Throne of Immortality or the Demon-Suppressing Sect, despicable beings that she despised but did not truly care about. Standing before the girl was a towering figure clad in radiant silver armor, illuminated by a halo of light.

His pale golden eyes were obscured by the armor, the gray-gold hair swirled amidst the element of light, and he held a magnificent sword that shimmered like flowing light, standing opposing the black-haired girl.

【……】

He did not speak; only Vilyric continued.

“You say… sacrificing thousands of innocent lives for a couple of loved ones, versus choosing to let your companions suffer for the greater good— which of the two is truly correct?”

He still said nothing, merely raising the long sword slowly.

The girl smiled and quickly let out a soft sigh.

“Ah, indeed, since what appears before me is the God of Light and not Gatekeeper Min Chen, it indicates that deep down I lean more towards the former.”

“In other words, if I found myself in exactly the same situation, I might also make the same choice as you, recklessly walking the path that harms the world for the sake of those I wish to protect.”

“Thus, it seems I can also indeed be called ‘evil.'”

The God of Light’s blade gleamed before the girl, representing her own Heart Demon, a slash directed inward.

But the girl was not lost.

“Even so, even if I were to experience this again, I would still stop you. Whether it’s a double standard or self-righteousness, I simply did what I felt was right at that moment.”

“Min Chen, if there ever comes a day when I tread the same path as you, it would be because, in my heart, her importance outweighs everything in this world.”

The black-haired girl raised her staff, as golden light gathered behind her.

“I am a very selfish person, I do not deny this. I do not wish to lose this selfishness because this ‘evil’ is precisely my proof of still being ‘human.'”

“So…”

“Light.”

“Zheng!!!”

The holy and majestic Avatar of Light wielded the holy spear, severing both her Heart Demon and the blade that struck down upon her.

“There is no confusion in this body; I will do what I must, what I believe is right.”

“Bang!!!!!!!”

The figure of the God of Light shattered into countless points of light, yet that light remained cohesive, swirling around the girl like gentle starfire.

The entity known as “Vilyric” raised her hand to grasp the light in her palm, its radiance merging into her being.

“This ‘evil,’ I embrace it willingly.”