Chapter 20: The Solitary Vagabond

 

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-Chapter 20, DGM-

The Celine now was really young, around 17 years old. Compared to the previous game world, her features were still immature and tender. Although she was not as powerful in the previous game, her strength still exceeded normal people by far.

Link attempted to examine Celine Lotus’s information and status, but all he received was a string of ‘?’s. Evidently, the disparity of power between Link and Celine was too great.

Currently, Link’s strength was equivalent to that of a level 2 magician. In the game, a level gap of 3 and above would result in this phenomenon. From the level 5 magic spell ‘obsidian ward’ that Celine had just cast, it could be inferred that she was, at minimum, a level 5 magician.

In the contemporary Feloma continent, any kingdom would welcome Celine as an honoured guest with open arms.

Of course, the prerequisite was that she did not display her demonic status, which was hated by the public.

Since she personally took matters into her own hands to rescue Link, the 150 level 2 dark elf assassins were hapless. Celine grabbed the back of Link’s arm, and a pair of ebony wings sprouted from her back. Beating her wings, she shot into the sky with Link.

Seeing Celine and Link leave the range of their protection magic, they immediately fired hordes of arrows. Arrows rained at Celine and Link from below. However, a sapphire crystal sword suddenly appeared in Celine’s hand, and she brandished it at superhuman speed.

The velocity was so high it turned into a blur of azure blue.

The clanking sound of iron arrows shattered against the sword, unable to even scratch it.

Celine flew to an altitude of around 100 meters, safely out of the reach of the arrows. The tens of dark elves could only stare dumbstruck at Celine hovering in the air.

After a dozen seconds, Celine landed on the bell tower of Glaston city.

Link’s head still felt light-headed. He watched Celine silently.

“What, surprised?”

Celine beamed at him, her face unusually flushed. Her ruddy and lovely lips raised in a grin. Her mesmerising voice seemed to carry a hook that could directly ensnare people’s hearts. In this moment, her entire person seemed to carry an indescribable charm unable to be explained by words.

An apt adjective popped up in Link’s head. ‘Sweet evil’.

Link was unable to avert his gaze on her.

In the previous game world, legend spoke of four great beauties whose names spread far and wide. Respectively, they were the angel of light Virola, the red dragon empress Lisa Grace, fairy princess Milda, and demon princess Celine Lotus.1

As dubbed by players as the ‘four great beauties’, their temperaments, appearances and strength were naturally top-grade. A simple glance would plant an unforgettable impression within players.

The personality of the demon princess was ‘sweet evil’. She was like an aromatic cup of poison. You know she’s deadly, but you are unable to keep yourself from being enraptured by her. Unable to stay afloat, you will sink and be unable to extricate yourself from her.2

Silence hung in the air. The grin on Celine’s face deepened, and she extended a delicate finger to lightly trace Link’s face, flirtatiously whispering. “Hm, you’re unafraid? I’m a demon you know.”

She licked her small canine teeth protruding slightly from her lips.

Link finally recovered. He lightly shook his head. “You saved me, why would I fear you?”

In the previous game world, the mission required to defeat Nosama was extremely long. Link and Celine had spent a good deal of time interacting with each other. Link was very familiar with her character. Although her nature was eccentric and mischievous, she was not someone fond of killing. This was a firm ethical line she would not cross, something which made her different from typical demons.

In truth, she did not want to become a genuine abyss demon, hence she wandered throughout her life like a vagabond to avoid the pursuit of her father’s lackeys.

“Who said I was saving you? You tricked me just now, and I’m angry. I brought you out to personally punish you!” Celine’s dainty brows creased, watching Link with eyes as black as pitch while grumbling. She seemed like she was thinking of how to punish Link.

Link was unconvinced. He waited patiently for her to finish.

If his guess wasn’t wrong, the punishment of this eccentric girl would be a mischievous prank.

His unmoved reaction made Celine feel like she was facing a hedgehog. Unusually, she had no way of getting him flustered. In the past, all she needed to was to exhibit her demonic features which would make even people familiar with her scared witless. Why was this human so undaunted?

She stood in front of Link. “Hey, I’m a demon. Can’t you at least give me a proper reaction?”

“Nah, you’re not a demon.” Link gently shook his head. “You’re only a demon in flesh. You’re still the old kindhearted Celine that took care of my broken arm for a week when I fell.”3

At this, Celine genuinely frowned. The sinister charm tone of her voice was stripped away, her voice turning frigidly cold and detached. “Don’t be naive, mortal. A few words of flattery will not buy you anything. I’ve seen too many of your kind.”

If this were the Link from the previous world, he might have been fooled by the cold exterior Celine had put on and assumed she was irate. He would have been scared witless.

However, the present Link knew that her cold front was due to the truthfulness of words.

The Celine now had stripped away her disguise of ‘sweet evil’, and had put on a cold front that could repel men a thousand miles away. This was merely a means of protecting herself.

This hybrid demon was actually lonely. Lonely, and also very frail. It was actually very understandable if you thought about it. Her own mother was slain by demons in front of her eyes, and the perpetrator was her father. Being able to retain her sanity was quite a feat by itself.

Link did not shrink back. “A genuine demon would not save me, save speaking so much. They would simply tear my body to shreds and absorb my soul. Celine, all I see is suffering and loneliness from you. May I know your story?”

Celine’s supple body jolted in shock. This was a first for her. The people she met before would simply be attracted by her appearances, and then flee upon discovering her demonic identity. Nobody had ever thought of her before, each one of them insincere and hollow.

This boy seemed to be able to stare into her soul. Every word he had uttered had hit home.

Celine’s heart was in a mess. No longer could her seductive charm be spotted from her actions. She retreated a few steps, turning around to gaze at the gloomy darkness directly below the bell tower. An expectant silence hung thick in the air.

Link allowed the silence to continue, patiently waiting as before.

On the bell tower, gusts of wind howled mournfully in the night, softly caressing Celine’s thick raven hair. Celine remained motionless, like a sculpture of Aphrodite in the night.4

Her childhood memories begin to resurface in her head.

“Mummy, why do I have these things on my forehead?” 5 year old Celine rubbed the budding horns growing from her forehead. 

Every time this scene replayed, the tender and beautiful face of her mother would express a hint of hatred. “That is from your father.”

“Mum, I don’t want to practice martial arts. It’s tiring…” 7 year old Celine was dead exhausted. Her mother meticulously raised her, but she seemed to be void of feelings when it came to practicing martial arts.

“You must quickly grow stronger! Your father will not let you off!” Her mother harshly rebuked. A wisp of sorrow arose on her face but quickly disappeared.

“Ah! Mother! What do you want? Who are you lot?” 14 year old Celine watched her mother lying on the floor, a pool of red spreading from her body. Her body was on its last breaths, but she managed to wheeze out a few words. “Celine…my daughter, don’t…fail-”

Her words had never finished. A few hideous creatures covered in sinister gas from head to toe decapitated her mercilessly.

“My princess, master has ordered us to bring you back home.” The hideous, deformed creatures spoke.

“Go to hell!”5 The many years of martial arts training took fruit. Celine possessed incredible strength, and slew the unprepared demons.

Reality burst her bubble, and she began to learn how to disguise herself. To avoid the pursuit of her father’s minions, she wandered far and wide. 3 weeks ago, she had arrived at Flaming magic academy.

She had never expected to grow into a fine magician, as she simply held some interest towards magic.

Celine thought back to her past interactions with Link.

“Mr. Moleney, I feel that it is lacking in courtesy to stare at a lady like that.”

This was an incident that had occurred 2 weeks ago. A youth had stared at with an abnormal expression, like he was infatuated with her. Of course, Celine did not take it to her heart. Throughout her nomadic life, the number of people who had done so were too many.

However, she never expected this unremarkable youth to recklessly escort her out of Glaston city in the event of danger. Not to mention, he actually accomplished it.

At this, Celine could not deny that this human had earned a special place in her heart.

Her secret had been bottled up and choked down in her heart for too long. After a long moment of silence, she was could not help but open her mouth. “My father is the Abyssal Lord. He wants me to return to the abyss to become a pawn of his. For this reason, his servants and minions have entered all over Feloma continent to capture me. I can only lead a nomadic life of wandering.

“My mother, a beautiful human, sacrificed herself to protect me. She was torn to pieces in front of my eyes. For my mother, I will definitely not become a puppet of the darkness!”

Celine’s mood became downcast. She looked at the ground to give herself something to look at. She sighed, her voice laced with a tinge of desolation.

She was a demon. A terrible, dreadful word, and the public enemy of the human world. Once she appeared, she would be surrounded and cut down. However, she had grown up in the human world and regarded it as her homeland.6

Hence, she had decided to spend her life in solitude and suffering.

‘This,’ Link’s heart ached. ‘is true loneliness.’

-Chapter 20, end-

I wonder how many times Celine was betrayed by other people when they ran away ;-; I made the tone sadder at some parts

I also did not see that there was a revised version of chapter 20 which the author rewrote, which means this is the old version.


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