Vol 3. Chapter 100: Marquis Xiumu-Duke’s Dilemma
Yuan’er’s powerful attack destroyed the prison guards’ defensive line while simultaneously blasting the facilities inside into complete disarray. The instant the barrier shattered, raging flames erupted throughout the prison. Black smoke mixed with Shadow of Silence Power instantly caused many of the guards to lose their ability to fight,
while the successive explosions rendered the prison’s previously airtight security system almost completely useless.
And just like that,
Marquis Xiumu-Duke and his wife, who had originally been bound by magic in the deepest part of the prison and were almost completely unable to move, found an opportunity to break free thanks to this series of explosions. When the magical restraints weakened under the corrosion of Shadow of Silence Power, the two elders seized the opportunity and exerted their strength, destroying the magic formation that had suppressed them for so long in one burst.
Afterward,
Marquis Xiumu-Duke took his wife, Avnora, and rushed toward the outer part of the prison. The dense Shadow of Silence Power nearby had indeed caused countless guards to lose their ability to fight, but it had little effect on Marquis Xiumu-Duke and his wife.
After all, although the battle aura within their bodies had been suppressed by Xue Tianao using Soul-Suppressing Spikes, their Seventh-Tier physiques still remained. Their resistance to Shadow of Silence Power was absolutely incomparable to that of ordinary Fifth- or Sixth-Tier soldiers.
Dragging along their tortured and battered bodies,
Xiumu carefully made his way through the ruins with his wife while solemnly staring up at the sky, looking at the densely packed swarm of black monsters overhead...
“An Abyss Demon horde... How could they appear... appear here?”
Xiumu’s voice unconsciously began to tremble.
“And this aura... it belongs to Yuan’er...”
Because he had once come into contact with Yuan’er after she had transformed into an Abyss Demon, Xiumu quickly realized that the owner of this aura was his granddaughter.
The prison explosion had been caused by Yuan’er...
In an instant,
Xiumu’s expression became more solemn than ever before, and his calloused fists clenched tightly.
“Wait?! Did you just say Yuan’er?”
However, before the old marquis could say anything else, Avnora excitedly grabbed Xiumu’s hand.
“Yuan’er?! You said Yuan’er is here?! This black energy belongs to Yuan’er?!”
Although learning from her husband that her granddaughter had transformed into an Abyss Demon had left Avnora shocked for quite some time, that shock had quickly been replaced by overwhelming joy.
As far as Avnora was concerned, as long as Yuan’er was still alive, she could accept whatever Yuan’er had become.
Even if she had become the kind of Abyss Demon Avnora despised most.
After hearing news of Yuan’er, Avnora paid absolutely no attention to the hateful Abyss Demons rampaging around them, nor did she care about the sinister aura emanating from Yuan’er.
All the marchioness wanted to know was where exactly her granddaughter was.
“Where is Yuan’er?”
Faced with Avnora’s excited questioning,
Xiumu pursed his lips and revealed a bitter expression.
“My dear, that child is an Abyss Demon now... She’s no longer our granddaughter...”
However,
before Marquis Xiumu-Duke could finish speaking,
a streak of black light suddenly flashed through the nearby ruins.
Avnora, who had constantly been scanning their surroundings from the corners of her eyes, seemed to notice something. Her expression abruptly changed, her brows furrowing tightly as even veins bulged on her forehead.
Then,
gritting her teeth,
under Xiumu’s completely unprepared gaze, Avnora suddenly leaped into the air and slammed her fist directly into her husband’s head!
“Clang~”
“Aaahhh!!!”
Following a crisp, resounding impact, Xiumu was suddenly struck in the head by Avnora’s iron fist. His entire body was sent flying backward before violently smashing into a nearby wall.
Then, before Xiumu could recover from his dizzy state, Avnora’s furious rebuke came flying toward him with the wind:
“So what if she’s an Abyss Demon?! Just because Yuan’er became an Abyss Demon, does that mean she’s no longer your granddaughter?! Even if she became an Abyss Demon, Yuan’er is still Yuan’er! She’s still our precious granddaughter!”
“But... but Abyss Demons are bloodthirsty monsters. A monster like that, even if it’s Yuan’er, once she loses control...”
“Loses control, my ass!”
Hearing Xiumu’s words, Avnora unhesitatingly threw away every last trace of her usual noblewomanly composure.
With a flash, she appeared beside Xiumu and yanked her somewhat rigid, old-fashioned husband up from the ground.
“There are exceptions to everything! Abyss Demons are no different! Yuan’er is an Abyss Demon transformed from a human, so how can you compare her to those mindless Abyss Demons?! Besides, you told me yourself that Yuan’er had a normal conversation with you before! That proves Yuan’er can retain her sanity!”
“That was... only temporary...”
“Even if Yuan’er lost control before, what about afterward? Have you fucking seen Yuan’er lose control since then?!”
“...No...”
Hearing this, Xiumu helplessly lowered his head. Faced with his wife’s scolding, Xiumu temporarily fell silent.
Meanwhile, Avnora patted Xiumu on the back while continuing to persuade him.
“Then ‘no’ is your answer, isn’t it? No matter what happens, Yuan’er is still your granddaughter. Old man, you have to trust your granddaughter. She can control herself... We’re her family. If even we don’t believe in her, then who will? Besides, that child took such a huge risk to come rescue us. If we treat her with that kind of wary and hostile attitude, just how heartbroken do you think Yuan’er will be...?”
“...”
“So no matter what happens, we’ll face it together. Don’t treat her the way you just did anymore. And especially don’t draw your sword on Yuan’er like you did back in Wind Facing City. Do you understand, old man?”
“...Mm.”
After an intense internal struggle, Xiumu finally nodded slightly, accepting Avnora’s words. Then, with some bitterness in his heart, he raised his head and looked toward the sky.
“But these Abyss Demons...”
Looking at the black monsters filling the sky, Xiumu still felt conflicted.
For generations, the Duke Family had guarded the border, and fighting against Abyss Demon invasions was their greatest duty.
Yet now, a member of the Duke Family who was supposed to fight against Abyss Demons had herself become an Abyss Demon.
If she hadn’t committed any atrocities, Xiumu might still have been able to accept it.
But,
if this massive Abyss Demon invasion of the Imperial Capital had also been Yuan’er’s doing...
Even if the child’s purpose was to rescue him and Avnora, Xiumu would still find it difficult to accept.
After all, resolving things this way—with a massive Abyss Demon assault—would undoubtedly plunge countless lives into misery and devastation. Innumerable innocent people would die beneath the claws and fangs of the Abyss Demons.
Xiumu could not accept such a thing.
Although, after completely understanding Xue Tianao’s true intention to destroy the Duke Family, Xiumu had become utterly disappointed in the current imperial family and also hoped to teach this arrogant Child of Destiny a lesson, he did not want innocent civilians to be sacrificed in the process.
If rescuing him required Yuan’er to pay such a price, then Xiumu would rather have died under torture earlier.
“Sigh...”
Filled with conflicting emotions, Xiumu couldn’t help raising his head and letting out a long sigh.
At that moment,
seemingly seeing through the reason for her husband’s inner conflict, Avnora helplessly shook her head.
“Old man, you’re thinking about this Abyss Demon horde, aren’t you?”
“Mm...”
Xiumu slowly nodded, his emotions complicated.
“If these Abyss Demons really are attacking the Imperial Capital under Yuan’er’s command and ‘slaughtering’ civilians, then I truly don’t know... what I should do.”
“I believe that child didn’t do it. Yuan’er might have been a little spoiled and unruly in the past, but she could never do something like this.”
“I know that. But after becoming an Abyss Demon, could the instincts of an Abyss Demon perhaps...”
“I still believe she wouldn’t.”
Avnora replied without the slightest hesitation.
“If you’re still worried, old man, then ask that girl yourself. You know Yuan’er would never lie to us.”
“I’d like to.”
Xiumu covered his face and gave a bitter laugh.
“Then just ask her.”
“Sigh, my dear, ever since we came out, there hasn’t been a single person around here. All that’s left are these lingering traces of her aura. Ask her? Where am I supposed to ask? Who knows where that girl went?”
“Yuan’er? She’s right beside us.”
“Beside us? My dear, stop joking around...”
“No, I’m not joking.”
“You’re... you’re not?”
??!!
Huh?!
“Wait?! Beside us?! What do you mean by that?”
Suddenly realizing something, Xiumu’s expression changed dramatically. He stared in utter astonishment at Avnora, who now wore a ‘strange’ smile.
“My dear? You’re not joking? She’s beside us? What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said~”
Avnora put away the seriousness on her face and revealed a kindly smile she hadn’t shown in a long time.
Then, the marchioness slowly lowered her head and looked beside herself.
“There’s no need to worry. Come out, Yuan’er.”
“Yuan’er??”
Hearing those words, Xiumu’s eyes had already widened like light bulbs, filled entirely with astonishment.
Then,
under Xiumu’s breathlessly focused gaze, an adorable little girl wearing a white dress and possessing heterochromatic red-and-blue eyes timidly poked her little head out from behind Avnora.
With a pitiful expression and large, watery eyes, she looked toward the somewhat helpless and bewildered Xiumu.
“Grandpa...”
“Yuan... Yuan’er...”
“Grandpa, these Abyss Demons really, really weren’t brought here by me. I don’t know where they came from either...”