Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Why had he chosen Xiao Huai to be the Holy Father?
Xiao Huai was not even a good person.
“I’m not a good person,” he said coldly.
The young man smiled gently. “I saw the light in you.”
Xiao Huai’s lashes trembled. He said nothing more.
“They are kind, loyal, strong girls, but their obsession runs too deep. In the end, even after giving everything I had, I still failed to stop them from taking on my consequences. But I found a way to free them.”
As the witches unleashed their forbidden art, the Little Prince had spent all his strength glimpsing the game’s hidden conditions.
Now he recounted everything he had seen, exactly as it had happened.
“Only when a player’s rating surpasses the highest rank and reaches a Super-S Rating will they have a chance to obtain system-level authority to change an instance.”
Determination filled the young man’s eyes. “But earning a Super-S Rating requires completing a nearly impossible task. That is the other reason I chose you to become the Holy Father.”
It was meant to increase the difficulty.
He whispered, “A curse called obsession lingers here, and the only way to dissolve it is for them to find their own way out.”
Xiao Huai remained silent. Only after a moment did he say, “What made you think I could earn a Super-S Rating? What made you think I’d receive that authority? And even if I did, why did you assume I’d make everything better?”
It was all this man’s fault that Xiao Huai had suffered so badly throughout this journey. It was his fault Xiao Huai had been forced to bear the Holy Father’s debuff.
And now he was forcing another task on him.
All because he had seen some light in Xiao Huai?
What a ridiculous reason.
The young man fell silent. Even though Xiao Huai’s tone had remained flat, he could still sense the grievance beneath his words.
“I’m sorry…” The young man lowered his head. He had made assumptions from the start.
Xiao Huai crouched in front of him. “But I’ll help you.”
The young man froze.
He had expected Xiao Huai to storm away in anger. Instead, Xiao Huai lifted his chin. “For no other reason than that you’re so naive, I have the urge to punch you.”
Xiao Huai continued, “If you’d chosen someone else, you wouldn’t have been this lucky. You got lucky this time. Next time, don’t do anything so stupid.”
The young man stared at him for several seconds. “But there won’t be a next time for me… I’m an anomaly. I’m going to disappear…”
“You think I’d work for you for free, Little Crow?”
“L-Little Crow?”
The Little Prince had countless titles–Your Highness, Prince, my lord, hero.
But no one had ever called him “Little Crow.”
Xiao Huai propped his cheek on one hand and pointed at the crow feathers flickering in and out of sight across the Little Prince’s body.
“Little Crow, you aren’t planning to end everything just like that, are you?”
His continued existence was also a bargaining chip Xiao Huai could use to complete the task.
Xiao Huai was no Holy Father. At the very least, he did not do good deeds for free.
He raised a fingertip and touched the Little Prince between the brows. Gentle light spread from the point of contact, and a Soul Contract appeared before him.
“Become my companion. Fight for me.”
Companionship went both ways. Xiao Huai would help his companions without hesitation.
The Little Prince’s pupils shook. He shook his head hard. “How could I deserve…”
How could he deserve to become Xiao Huai’s companion?
How could he deserve to live?
All his people were gone.
Xiao Huai read the emotion in his eyes and sighed softly.
He stood. A battered warrior doll with light brown hair appeared in his hand.
He had picked it up in the underground room. Now it was clear that the doll represented the Little Prince.
“Do you know why the Kingdom of Lande received the power of the three-legged crow? Gods don’t grant power to mortals lightly. Even when that power comes with a price, the gift itself proves one thing–there is something in you they could not forget.”
He looked at the blue butterflies dancing through the room and continued, “You carry the hopes and strength of everyone in the Kingdom of Lande. As long as you remain, the Kingdom of Lande has not truly fallen.”
Xiao Huai raised the doll, and a blue butterfly settled on its head.
The butterfly danced in his dark red eyes, its silver radiance bright enough to illuminate an entire universe.
He looked at the Little Prince and slowly offered him the doll. “Besides, only the person who caused this can set it right. Miss Witch has been waiting for you all this time.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Little Prince felt as though his heart had been seized, then abruptly released. His blood boiled while one line from Xiao Huai repeated endlessly in his mind.
“Everyone’s hopes and strength.”
Xiao Huai noticed the Little Prince trembling faintly. He said, “You are the king of the Kingdom of Lande, and you wield the divine power of the three-legged crow. I want a hero as my companion.”
Xiao Huai signed his name on the Soul Contract. In an instant, invisible threads spread over his body.
He continued, “Well, little hero? Do you understand why I want you as my companion now? Will you do me the honor?”
His blood surged and boiled. The Little Prince’s eyes widened, light gleaming within them. He lifted a trembling hand, only to stop halfway. “Can I really…?”
After a moment, Xiao Huai nodded gently. “How will you know if you don’t try? If you regret it later, you can tell me then.”
A mischievous smile appeared on his face. The more casually he treated it, the more it seemed that no obstacle was truly insurmountable.
Warmth flowed into the Little Prince’s heart. He nodded solemnly.
The instant he signed his name on the Soul Contract, immense power covered his entire body.
The invisible force imprisoning him shattered. He no longer had to kneel. The moment he signed the contract, his freedom had only just begun.
[Ding! You Lin has signed the Soul Contract. Soul bond successfully established.]
[Anomaly You Lin is one component of the curse source. This anomaly will be erased in thirty minutes.]
[As the NPC is Xiao Huai’s soul companion, priority is being calculated…]
[The system cannot directly punish a player’s soul companion. The anomaly’s fate has been changed. In thirty minutes, he will be sent to the Soul Companion Space to sleep and may emerge only when his supernatural ability is used.]
You Lin received the same information. His pupils contracted sharply.
His fate had changed.
“How can you… possess… such power?”
Xiao Huai put away the Soul Contract and tilted his head slightly. You Lin had not finished speaking because of his shock, but Xiao Huai knew what he meant.
He said carelessly, “Mm–I just got lucky.”
At that moment, he suddenly understood what Lu Yuanshi had meant when he answered with the word “luck.”
Of all the explanations one could give, perhaps luck truly was the best.
Xiao Huai held out a hand to You Lin. “Time to go, Little Crow. We don’t have much time, and I think you may be the treasure I’ve been looking for.”