Free Web NovelBathed in moonlight, the two walked along the night path until they reached a small hill, where the view could easily overlook all of Mount Aisa.
Above them was a sky of brilliant stars and moon; below lay the pitch-black, lightless town.
They stood somewhere in between — raising their heads, there was the starlit moon; lowering them, the path they had come by, and at the entrance of the town, a faint flicker of firelight, small as a firefly.
“It’s still too lifeless here. Back when we first started dating, weren’t we in a mountain city?”
Vieya couldn’t help recalling the place where they first met — a small city in the southern lands. She turned to Flaviel and asked,
“Do you still remember it?”
“Our first meeting... of course I remember.”
Flaviel brushed back her wind-tousled hair and smiled.
“I was the one who confessed to you back then... and I had to rack my brains to make you agree.”
“To play games with you, I not only had to hold back, but also take care of your pride — making sure you didn’t notice I was going easy, letting you think you won by skill... Mm, when I cooked for the whole party, I even made special dishes just for you, practicing those you liked over and over...”
Flaviel spoke of those memories with bright enthusiasm, no different from an ordinary human girl — if one ignored the terrifying methods she used when fighting.
“And the dishes you liked didn’t even have ingredients that existed in this world. Do you know how much trouble I went through finding replacements?” Her tone carried a note of complaint.
At the time, she had almost thought Vieya was deliberately making things difficult because she had discovered her hidden identity.
Fortunately, the old Vieya was truly naive — like someone who believed that NPCs in games couldn’t lie, and thus thought she couldn’t lie either.
Flaviel laughed. “Good thing you weren’t picky. Thinking back, my determination was something else. Doing all that, and I didn’t even feel tired.”
“By the way, did you really hold back when playing games?” Vieya frowned.
“?”
Wait, that’s what you focused on?
Flaviel blinked, then her expression turned mildly annoyed. “I told you all that, and the only thing you caught was whether I held back or not?”
“Sorry... I should’ve focused on how much you did for me.” Vieya paused, then added, “But playing with me was something you did for me too. In my heart, it’s all the same.”
“Xiao Ye... you’ve learned bad habits. You even tease me now...”
Flaviel sighed and switched the topic. “Didn’t you say you’d treat me to a feast?”
“A feast? That big pot of wild-vegetable soup wasn’t big enough? Besides, you’re the one who refused to eat. I just helped you by finishing your portion.” Vieya spoke righteously.
“......”
Flaviel fell silent, her lips slowly pouting until she looked utterly pitiful.
“But I want to eat now... Even though I’ll have to go back soon, all alone, to sit in my dark prison cell...”
Her voice grew increasingly pitiful, nearly to the point of tears. “In that prison, there’s no one to talk to — only endless darkness... I can’t do anything there, just stare into space, cry, then go numb... I finally get to see you once, and you still lie to me like this...”
Vieya: “You’re a being of energy right now.”
Flaviel’s pout vanished, replaced by irritation. “It’s not about food. I’m full of anger already. I just wanted you to say those three words.”
“Too corny.” Vieya refused flatly without even thinking.
Back then, they had rarely said such “I love you” things. She hadn’t cared much — as long as they trusted each other, that was enough.
Love was something you did, not something you said.
Hmm... The little slime girl scratched her cheek, realizing something strange — she now felt maybe she had been too extreme before.
Maybe love did need to be expressed... maybe? perhaps?
Seeing the slime pretend to be deaf, Flaviel’s tone turned cold.
“If you won’t say it, forget it. Nothing that comes out of your mouth is worth hearing anyway.”
“......” freewebnσvel.cѳm
Vieya pressed her lips together and said nothing.
She missed her old high triple-stat self — when she could easily pin the Demon King down and express her love in her own way.
Too bad she couldn’t now...
Suddenly, the slime girl’s eyes grew mournful, making Flaviel’s skin prickle.
“Flaviel, if you’re gone, what am I supposed to do when I miss you?” Vieya asked, her emerald eyes serious.
“Eh?”
Flaviel blinked — all the pent-up anger she had been holding in simply vanished like magic.
Weird. Did this iron-hearted block of wood learn magic after turning into a slime girl?
Just one line, and she’s made me forgive her.
She thought for a moment and said, “If you miss me, then stay away from other women... and think about me more.”
“You...”
Vieya suddenly froze, her eyes darkening. “...You really are a Demon King — your whole head is filled with yourself.”
“I am a Demon King, not an omniscient god. And besides, I’m already dead — what else can I do?” Flaviel spread her hands. Always indulging the slime would only turn her into an empty-headed fool.
Material temptations didn’t worry her — no one could treat Vieya better than she once had.
What she did worry about was emotional temptation.
Because emotional temptation came through sweet words and the value of feelings.
So, Vieya couldn’t stay too naive — too naive, and she could be sweet-talked away.
If the feelings were real, fine. But if someone with bad intentions came along, it’d be terrible...
Sigh. In the end, the road ahead would have to be walked by her alone.
As long as Vieya could gain a bit more power, a bit more wisdom, a few more ways to protect herself — Flaviel would feel more at ease.
But clearly, Vieya now was far sharper than the Demon King imagined — her sarcasm could rival any expert’s.
“Heh. Your body’s dead, but your mouth isn’t. You even force-kiss people — terrifying.”
Force-kiss.
That made Flaviel falter. “You made me wait that long, and you have the nerve to complain? Besides, you agreed!”
“You took so long. Only three years without touching anyone, and you were already pent up?” Vieya smirked. “You pervy, brain-full-of-lust Demon King.”
“...You win.”
Flaviel suddenly fell quiet, then slowly sat down on the soft grass, lying back. Her golden eyes looked at the night sky, and a wordless loneliness surrounded her, leaving Vieya confused.
“Flaviel, what’s wrong?”
Vieya hesitated, then crouched beside her when Flaviel didn’t answer, curiously watching her.
“What’s wrong...? Say something. Sigh, you’re still as sulky as before. Look how carefree I am now...”
As she spoke, Vieya picked up a lock of Flaviel’s golden hair and started braiding it.
Flaviel ignored the small gesture, her gaze fixed on the sky.
“The seven-day cycle here... what it really repeats are the seven days before I died.”
Vieya’s hands froze.
“Every seven days, I restart again, just like those Mount Aisa residents you saw. As long as we stay within Mount Aisa, within the barrier... we’ll never die.”
Vieya said nothing, head lowered, continuing to braid Flaviel’s hair.
“But humans are too fragile. They can’t keep their memories through the loops... As the weeks went by, most of them fell into despair, pain, tried to kill themselves to escape.”
“Yet even in death, when the reset comes, they revive with every memory intact. I told them — when the Hero comes, everything will end.”
“Xiao Ye... I’m wondering whether I should end it all.” Flaviel’s voice was low.
“Don’t end it...” Vieya whispered.
“The empty worlds you’ve seen — they were all broken, abandoned spaces. But once, they were complete like this one. Thousands of people at first... now only a few hundred remain.”
Flaviel lay on the grass and closed her eyes. “Xiao Ye, I’ve been here for 26,128 loops.”
Vieya finished braiding the little braid by Flaviel’s ear, her eyes drooping. “Is there any way? Any way to bring you back to me... as long as I can do it.”
Flaviel didn’t answer.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time.
She had felt it — about half a month ago, when the barrier first cracked.
If Vieya hadn’t come, someone else would’ve come to retrieve the Holy Sword, and everything here would’ve been buried in dust, forgotten by all.
But Vieya came — an unexpected joy.
Now, she had been ready for this, her only worry being... that Vieya had not.
But still.
She chose to believe her — to believe in her own judgment.
A bit of bickering and teasing, and everything would smooth out. She didn’t believe her slime would’ve regressed into a pure fool in just a few years.
Vieya quietly helped her tidy her hair.
For a long while, silence lingered.
Then Flaviel chuckled softly. “When I get bored, I practice dancing... Do you want to see?”
Vieya nodded hard.
She would do her best now, so she’d have fewer regrets later.
“If you want to see, then dance with me. Don’t worry — I’ll teach you. Just follow along.” Flaviel smiled.
Vieya’s steps were clumsy. Even with Flaviel guiding her hand by hand, she kept making mistakes.
Smack!
The slime girl stepped on the Demon King’s toe!
“S-sorry!”
“It’s fine. Let’s slow down.” Flaviel smiled and began humming an elven song Vieya didn’t understand.
As she sang and danced, her white robe spread like the wings of a white bird. Upon it were ancient elven letters — the left sleeve symbolizing the rising sun, growth of all things, and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) dreamlike life; the right sleeve symbolizing the rising moon, withered bones, cold sands, and the eternal underworld.
As she danced, she slipped off her outer robe, revealing her pure, beautiful body, and embraced the stunned Vieya.
She whispered softly, “Good night...”
The night sky, clouds drifting, the Milky Way flowing backward — beauty beyond mortal sight.
On the soft grass lay a wide white robe, and upon it, the two of them held each other as they slept.
Until —
Dawn broke in the east.
