Category: Let Me Shoulder this Blame!

T/N: Arrrrgh, I’m so frustrated with myself. I wanted to translate all three chapters (one each for TBL, LMSTB, and FOD:XZX) yesterday night, but I fell asleep at my desk after translating this chapter of LMSTB and only part of TBL. I want to post both LMSTB and TBL tonight, but I’m not sure if I’ll get TBL done by tonight since I have to sleep early for a morning shift tomorrow, so I thought it best to just post LMSTB first and not make you guys wait any longer. Anyways, happy reading!

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Chapter 78

The long lost abundance of power quickly filled his body.

“I need your assistance. You should already know the pope’s secret and also understand the method to check and balance his power*…”

[*T/N: I would’ve thought the god’s request would be to “kill the pope” or “to stop the pope,” but the raws used the word 制衡 zhi heng, which means “checks and balances” or “to check and balance power”]

“But I already don’t have time.”

Su Shi could not help furrowing his brows. After deliberating for a short period of time, he still interrupted the voice in his ears.

The amount of time that he could stay in this world was not directly related to the brand, but was determined by the system.

The total amount of time he could stay in the novice worlds was limited. He stayed in the last world for too long, so there were only forty-eight hours left. As long as that time was up, whether or not he was branded, he would still be forced to leave the world.

He had no way to explain these things, but according to previous experiences, these existences that were already at the divine level were more or less able to experience and understand the “rules” that constrain him.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“It doesn’t matter. Just now, I have terminated the flow of time in you.”

The voice seemed to have already made preparations. Laughing, it said, “You will have eternal life, and you will always have your present appearance and physique. As long as the law I leave behind is not destroyed, nothing on your body will change…”

Su Shi’s expression sank.

The only thing that could destroy the law left by the god of light was the power of the dark demon in the pope. If he didn’t want to be trapped in this world, he must drag the pope down to death with him as soon as possible.

And he didn’t know what level the protagonist has upgraded to at this point. If by any chance, the protagonist’s strength rose dramatically due to an unexpected turn of events and he got rid of the pope, then Su Shi would be met with extreme inconvenience.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he felt. Su Shi wanted nothing more than to get away immediately and run to the pope for a decisive battle. He agreed without hesitation.

“Okay, if there’s nothing else, then I will first go look for the pope–”

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“Have a little more patience, at least wait until the absolution ceremony is over before you head off.”

Obviously, the god did not understand his abundant psychological struggle. The voice in his ear was still calm and unruffled. It unhurriedly spoke a line and then resumed its benevolent and gentle manner of speaking.

“My child, form now on, your sins have been forgive, and you are completely free. And all the sacrifices and investments you’ve made will all become a mirage shown to the lover that you care so much about and betted everything on…”

“Wait!”

Su Shi’s expression changed slightly, and he took a step forward hurriedly.

“He and I are not lovers. I prayed for him only because I hoped that he could upgrade his strength and defeat the pope–”

“…You aren’t?”

The voice paused abruptly. After hesitating for a long while, it spoke with some embarrassment in its tone.

Whether or not it was the same set of data, it must not be anymore.

Su Shi shook his head firmly, “No.”

“Oh…”

The voice weakly gave a sound of reply, and then stopped speaking.

The pure light power silently entered Su Shi’s body, but the ray of sunlight would soon fade away.

……

Su Shi raised a hand to support his aching head. “You already had him see it, didn’t you?”

Sunlight flashed between the shadows of the trees and then died down. Thick fog rapidly gathered, wrapping everything in its thick shroud once again.

“Some parts were also embellished as appropriate…”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

After saying that, the god saw that Su Shi’s reaction was not too intense, felt a little relieved, hesitated for a moment, and finally sincerely continued to admit all the rest.

“…Also cut out the part of you running like a headless chicken in the forest, and matched it with background music.”

Su Shi’s breath got stuck. The body that was restored actually felt slightly faint, and there were bursts of pain in his stomach.

“In that kind of perilous life or death situation, your entire heart was full of him, so I thought–”

The voice apologetically explained, as if carefully gauging his expression before continued to speak in earnest.

“My child, you will stay young forever, you can just conveniently fall in love along the way, right?”

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The author has something to say:

God: Brave young man, what do you choose, immortality or live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss? QvQ

Su Shi: Want to die. ^-^

T/N: Super massive apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out. ORZ 🙇‍♂️

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Chapter 77

Su Shi did not have enough time anymore.

Thanks to these people, even if they rushed back nonstop, the remaining time was still not enough for him to see the pope and then dragged the pope down to death with him.

He will fall in this forest, fall in an unknown place, and entrust all hope to the protagonist.

As for his mission, he no longer had any hope of completing it.

Although he could not conceal the truth from the protagonist, the misunderstanding of the people was still at the peak. He finally had an opportunity to successfully complete the mission, but because they were chased by these guys around the forest, the opportunity slipped through his fingers.

Thinking about it, Su Shi became angrier and angrier. The light in his eyes completely dimmed and his already weak body slowly straightened. The air abruptly burst into a chilling cold.

The absolute cold even cause the trees to think that they had entered deep winter ahead of time. The leaves fell wildly, but they were tossed by the biting cold wind, dried up quickly to brownish yellow, and crumbled into powder.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The water moisture in the air converged into sharp little ice blades. They swirled in the cold air currents and reflected the dazzling brilliance of the sunlight.

“Not good! Stop him, quick!” The black robed leader barked, becoming aware of the strong threat hanging in the air.

The electric arc in his palm suddenly thickened, and mercilessly penetrated the Holy Paladin’s chest, nailing him firmly to the tree.

Su Shi’s body trembled. He raised his head calmly.

Those deep eyes seemed to be filled with an endless cold so biting that it caused the rest of the black robed figures to shudder. They poured out all their defensive tactics in desperation.

Su Shi did not evade, nor did he have time to evade.

He just sighed very softly and silently prayed that the protagonist would successfully upgrade his body and complete the mission for him. Then he completely crushed the power crystal core in his body without hesitation.

The wind was deafening.

The ice blades easily cut through the black robed pursuers’ throats, the warm blood spilled, and it was condensed into even sharper blood blades.

Su Shi closed his eyes.

……

Then he opened his eyes again.

*

Not yet completely freed from the violent oppression of death, Su Shi’s chest swelled and fell. He could not help by frown, trying to figure out the situation that he was in.

Time seemed to suddenly fall into a standstill. The black robed figures in front of him were futilely struggling on the edge of demise. But the noise in his ears was suddenly calm. Those attacks that were enough to completely wipe him off the face of this earth had stopped no more than an inch away from his person.

The spilled blood had stopped in mid-air. The falling bodies were stiff and frozen halfway down. It was as if a giant pause button had been pressed. Even the wind had stopped without the slightest breeze.

“I heard your prayers, my child.”

A ray of sunlight pierced through the thick fog and easily dispelled the bitter chill in the air. In his ears sounded a kind and gentle deep voice.

“In tens of thousands of years, you are the first person to be branded, but still remain fearless up until the last moment.”

Su Shi’s expression turned rigid. After a long while, he finally opened his mouth to probe, “Light… God?”

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This was a god unique to the Warren Continent. People got power from the light and they returned it with faith and devotion. He just skimmed over the background of the story, but he did not expect that such a god would actually exist.

“You can call me that.”

A soft chuckle sounded in his ear, and after a moment it said, “In the past tens of thousands of years, the people branded the guilty, to turn over to me for judgment, but there have never been a single person that was truly deserving of absolution.”

Su Shi’s heart jumped, and suddenly some ominous premonition emerged.

The voice was completely unaware and it continued to speak slowly with a gratified benevolence.

“Cowardice, greed, betrayal, fear. When people are faced with the threat of death, there will always be a moment when they are manipulated by the weakness rooted in their soul. You are entitled to feel proud of yourself, my child.”

The brand on the side of his neck faded away. The feeling of something shackling him vanished like smoke into thin air, and his shattered crystal core solidified again.

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Translator Rambles:

Su Shi just can’t catch a break. Even the Light God is not letting him die. XD

On another note, I think the Light God’s judgment is rather unfair. When faced with death, which person would not feel fear? Even for just a split second. We are only human after all, and it’s instinctual to fear death. Su Shi doesn’t fear death, because one, death is integral to the completion of his mission (and his death is also not permanent), and two, he’s a long time world hopper (as far as I can interpret) so his nerves are probably made of sterner stuff by now.

T/N: Click here for a general announcement on “Delayed Updates?”

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Chapter 76

Sensing that the protagonist was out of danger, Su Shi finally let out a breath of relief, closed his eyes, and gave up resistance.

The black robed figure’s electricity ruthlessly ran through his chest.

To turn an entire river into an unbreakable wall was an impossibly difficult task.

He could only draw support from the thick fog coverage here to conceal and try to make the momentum a bit bigger. If the black robed figure did not prioritize killing Su Shi and had instead walked along the ice wall and go further a few steps, then Su Shi’s afraid he would have long caught up with Esmond.

“There’s still a present for you, hope you guys will like it…”

With a valiant force Su Shi resolutely pressed against the ice wall. He quirked his bloodless lips and then snapped his fingers.

In a flash, the ice wall melted and the resulting monstrous waves shot towards the black robed people.

The leading black robed figure couldn’t withdraw the electricity around his body in time. The wave of water smashed against the fierce electric spark. The jumping electric arc passed through all the black robed assassins.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

They were caught off guard. In an instant, their miserable wails echoed all around.

Pure ice crystals quickly wrapped around his body, separating him from the sweeping electric arc within the water. Su Shi promptly escaped. He turned around and slipped into the thick fog, waving his hand behind him.

He and Esmond went in two completely different directions. He played these guys hard. After they gradually collect themselves, they definitely would not let things go just like that.

As long as he could draw away one of them, then he would draw away one. Provided that the protagonist could smoothly return to the treasure trove, a big part of his task would be considered complete.

As for the assassination of the pope – as long as the there was no protagonist following along to add to his problems, then he might still be able to find an opportunity…

The wounds on his body were innumerable, and the gaping wound in his chest was carelessly sealed off with blood soaked ice crystals. Su Shi followed the map to walk towards the edge of the forest. Distracted, he bought a dozen or so painkillers and kept them prepared on his body. He used three in one breath. Only then did his heart finally steadied.

This time, no matter what, he couldn’t be softhearted again.

Experience points were definitely useful. If anything went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to afford painkillers in the next world.

Using the map as a guide, he stumbled through the forest. The closer he got ot he outer periphery of the misty forest, the more he could see the sky getting brighter outside.

He had less than twenty hours left.

Su Shi suddenly felt a little pressured. He took a deep breath to pull himself together. Just as he was about to continue forward, a sudden, exceptional force attacked him from behind.

He was already chased until he was out of experience points. Without the slightest hesitation, Su Shi lifted his legs and ran. He found a chance to turn his head around to count how many people had caught up with him, and then he stumbled.

The hostility was somewhat ferocious.

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He just wanted to draw some of the pursuers away from the protagonist, but he didn’t expect that, without one missing, all of them were chasing after him.

It was back to being chased through the forest in a scrambled mess. Su Shi gritted his teeth and did his best to evade. The brand progressively eroded his body’s strength, causing his steps to slow involuntarily.

When the sun finally rose completely, he was chased into a blockage at the forest’s edge.

The clothes on his body were soaked with sweat, and Su Shi was almost unable to stand. He had to lean on a tree trunk to barely stabilize his body. He lightly gasped for breath as he quirked the corner of his lips.

“Looks like, everyone was very satisfied with my present…”

The people in front of him were all thoroughly electrocuted without exception, and some of them had scorched hair. They were all dripping wet like used rags. They looked to be in a sorrier state than Su Shi.

As if he could make out the ridicule in Su Shi’s eyes, resentment flashed through the eyes of the black robed leader. He suddenly stepped forward.

“You’re already at death’s door, and you still don’t know what’s good for you!”

“Too bad, I was already knocking on death’s door long ago.”

The smile in Su Shi’s eyes finally faded. He slowly sorted out his clothes and stood up straight again. The corners of his lips were still curved up in a gentle arc, and there was a faint flash of coldness in his eyes.

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Chapter 75

Several figures in black robes appeared silently from the thick fog.

Esmond’s heart sank. He slowly retracted his arms and stood upright again, keeping Su Shi firmly behind him.

“Bishop Esmond, please don’t continue to resist, we are just following the pope’s order, this is just a waste of time.”

The leader of the group of black robed figures stepped forward. Electricity sparked incessantly in the palm of his hand.

His complexion was almost a pale bluish-white, but his eyes were dark, and there seemed to be a faint black mist emanating from his body. Even the crackling electricity in his palm seemed to be painted in a faint blood red color.

It would seem that many people within the papacy were already controlled by demons.

Esmond’s gaze deepened. He lifted his right hand and flames erupted into a circle. The temperature rapidly rose. “I won’t give up, unless–”

Before he could finish speaking, his breathing stuttered, and his eyes showed some alarm.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He stumbled forward half a step, unable to support his body. A sound of surprise escaped his lips. He staggered but once again stood firm, and turned his body around to look behind him.

He didn’t know when, but Su Shi had gotten up onto his feet and ruthlessly buried an ice cone into the gap between his ribs.

Blood poured quickly from the wound and was instantly absorbed by the ice cone, dyeing the originally clear ice a blood red.

Esmond’s brows furrowed slightly. His eyes fell blankly on the person behind him and met a pair of indifferent cold eyes.

“Ivan…”

Su Shi interrupted Esmond. “He was the one who seized me. Please allow me to follow you back and meet the pope to pray for forgiveness.”

He turned back slightly and looked at the black robed figures calmly.

The black robed killers looked at each other, exchanged a few words in low voices, and looked at the black flames still surrounding Esmond. Then the leader took a step forward.

“Okay, as long as you kill him, we will recognize your loyalty.”

Facing Esmond’s complex gaze, the young Holy Paladin took another step towards him. He raised his hand to his waist and shoved the ice cone even more forcefully into him.

Esmond’s body shuddered, and blood finally oozed out from his tight lips.

Strength rapidly left him. With his eyes still fixed on the paladin in front of him, his body grew weak and he fell into the arms of the other party.

Those arms caught him steadily.

“Run…”

A very faint voice entered his ear.

His breathing stalled. Before Esmond could open his mouth, the youth holding him had already stuffed something into his hand, and continued to speak rapidly.

“Go back, thoroughly improve your strength and then come back again. Their strength is inherited from the pope, and with your current strength, it is simply not enough to compete with him…”

“But–”

Esmond opened his mouth mutely. A silent pain suddenly spread throughout his chest.

That pain was so intense it even muted the throbbing of the wounds on his body. Black spots danced in his vision.

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“It’s too late, go quickly!”

A tyrannical power knocked into his chest. Beneath his feet, the river suddenly turned into a sheet of ice.

Esmond was involuntarily pushed across the river to the opposite bank. Before he could rush back, he watched helplessly as the entire river abruptly exploded, forming a majestic water screen between heaven and earth.

The curtain of water froze and solidified in an instant. Cold air spread out, forcibly separating the two banks of the river, and the two sides were quickly submerged in dense fog.

“Go!”

Separated by the wall of ice, the Holy Paladin’s voice vaguely penetrated through. For the first time, it carried a biting chill.

Esmond’s face flashed white in an instant, and his eyes reddened.

Su Shi had extracted Esmond’s power until there was practically nothing left. Right now, even if he broke through and returned to the other side he would not be of any help. He would only betray the hopes of the other person, who went all out and risked his life to fight for this opportunity for him.

With his jaw locked tight and his mouth filled with blood, Esmond turned around and rapidly disappeared into the forest.

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Chapter 74

Su Shi was jolted awake.

The arm around his back was still firm and strong. Esmond’s warm chest was right next to him, and he could even feel the heart beating.

Don’t know how long the protagonist has already been running for, but his breathing was very rough, falling in ragged huffs against Su Shi’s neck.

Su Shi’s mouth and throat was heavy with the taste of blood, and his entire body was chilled. Su Shi blinked dimly, raised his hand, and caught the cuff of the other party.

“You’re awake? Hold on. We will be safe soon.”

The arm behind Su Shi tightened, as if he was afraid to disturb the young man who was already weak enough. Esmond’s voice was still low and soft.

Su Shi felt a little dizzy. He raised his head to meet Esmond’s eyes, and weakly quirked up the corner of his lips. “What… not setting fire anymore?”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“It wasn’t easy to get you cleaned up. I don’t want you to get dirty again.”

That hand moved a bit to gently stroke the ends of Su Shi’s hair, pulling the young man even tighter into his protective arms.

Su Shi stalled for a bit before raising his gaze again thoughtfully.

It seemed like they were still being pursued. Su Shi could not see anything behind them, but Esmond’s steps did not stop, not even daring to rest for a short moment.

The jolting was difficult to bear. Su Shi only got to relax for a bit when he was hit again with pain in his chest.

Su Shi wavered between awareness and unconsciousness. In the end, he was unable to hold back a groan. Esmond’s feet paused. His arm tightened up and he hastily apologized. “Sorry, let’s take a break…”

As he said this, he looked behind him again to confirm that he could no longer see any pursuers following them. Then his pace gradually slowed down.

Looking at the quiet and still Holy Paladin in his arms, Esmond’s chest felt a little clogged. He stopped near a riverbank and kneeled on one knee. He supported Su Shi between his arms. “Are you thirsty? Do you want to drink some water?”

Uncontrollable tiredness pulled at Su Shi’s eyelids. He tried his best to blink his eyes open. He nodded his head slightly and curved his eyebrows in a comforting gesture towards Esmond.

Holding the young man steady in his arms, Esmond scooped up some river water with one hand and carefully tipped the liquid into Su Shi’s mouth. He also picked up some water to wipe their faces with.

The cool water diluted the bloody taste in his throat and also sobered Su Shi’s chaotic thoughts a bit. The black mist that originally swam in front of his eyes dissipated a little. He looked at the person in front of him.

Su Shi doubted the protagonist was feeling any better than him. Those people chasing them caused the protagonist to have to run all over the forest.

It was rare for the usually unflustered and unhurried cardinal to be put into a difficult situation like today. Esmond’s complexion was somewhat wan. His breathing was still a bit unsteady, and his chest heaved up and down for air. Several more minor wounds had been added to his body.

“How about you put me down.”

Su Shi whispered softly, trying his best to discern the expression on the other person’s face. “If I rest a bit, I can walk by myself.”

The arms fencing him in suddenly tightened. The unwillingness caused him to exert some force with his arms. After a moment of silence, Esmond spoke in a low voice, “If I let go of you, you’ll go back, correct?”

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“I only have one day of life left. Isn’t it the same no matter where I am…?”

Met with Esmond’s bloodshot eyes, Su Shi smiled softly and shook his head helplessly.

Su Shi’s expression was calm and his gaze was mild, but it made Esmond’s chest tighten uncomfortably. “It’s not the same, Ivan, listen to me–”

After the other person vomited blood and then fell into a coma, Esmond was anxious to the extreme, wanting to find a way to save him, but he was really helpless. He tried to search for anything or anyone that could help, and due to an unexpected turn of events, ended up opening that ancient book.

The book not only recorded the truth that the pope would be possessed by demons in a hundred years; it also recorded many mysteries that have been misunderstood by people.

This included the so-called absolute death brand of the papacy. There was actually a way to escape from the inevitable curse. The prerequisite for it was excessively demanding, and the actualization of it would be challenging, but at least there still existed a nebulous hope.

Esmond looked at him deeply, and then took a deep breath to speak, but suddenly there was a powerful wave of power spreading all around.

The Holy Paladin’s body was already very weak, even such a faint shock caused him to pale considerably, and he lowered his head to cough up a few mouthfuls of blood.

The dark red blood splashed on the blades of green grass, and Esmond’s eyes sank. He raised his hand to hold him, but Su Shi pressed his hand down. “It’s too late.”

As soon as the words fell, several figures in black robes appeared silently from the thick fog.

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Chapter 73

Esmond frowned slightly at the fallen book. He clothed Su Shi with one hand, then turned around and leaned down to pick up the book, but Shi Shi’s pupils shrank in horror. “No–”

He hurriedly rushed forward; trying to grab the book back, but suddenly felt a fierce dizziness and his body abruptly fell down.

Before he could hit the icy hard ground like he’d imagined, Esmond caught him in a steady embrace, took the book into his arms, and carefully helped him sit down in a corner. Then he picked up his clothes and draped it over Su Shi.

Esmond had the ability to make fires, but he still needed combustible materials. He was about to get up to pick up some wood, but suddenly found that his cuff was being pulled tightly.

The young man in his arms did not seem to be completely clear-headed yet. There was not a drop of blood left in his pale face, but he was still turned towards Esmond, and the expression in his eyes looked close to despair and pleading.

“You don’t want me to see the book?”

Esmond froze and vaguely understood what he meant. He went back on a half-kneel and comfortingly supported the young man’s thin back.

“There was a lot of stuff in that treasure cave, but you only took this book—actually, when I heard the sound of the upgrade, I realized that it was not a seal, but an advanced formation that could improve one’s strength. I can vaguely guess that there must be a secret in this book that you must hide.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

He simply stopped looking for wood, and instead sat on the floor, steadily enclosing the young man in his arms. He used a tiny bit of his powers and the surrounding air gradually became warm and comfortable.

It wasn’t a service package promoted by the system, so why on earth did that spell circle have a recorded voice notice with it?

Su Shi’s breath caught in his throat. He blinked incredulously. A light taste of blood emanated from his throat.

“I know that you cannot say it. Holy Paladins can never betray the papacy of their own initiative. Even if you assassinate the pope, as long as you have not fallen, you will still be under the fetters of magic and cannot say anything that is not good for the papacy.”

Apologetically meeting those fearful blank eyes, Esmond spoke slowly, his eyes gradually dimming. “Before you left me in that cave, you said that high-level Fallens also knew how to play pretend—at that time, you actually wanted to tell me something, right?”

Su Shi could not speak, his chest was undulating, and his eyes were fixed on Esmond.

“Don’t be afraid, you have never betrayed your allegiance. You are using your own strength to guard all the light of the entire continent.”

Putting the book back into Su Shi’s arms gently, Esmond still did not look at it, but instead gently touched the young man’s short black hair, and the light in his eyes went dark.

“Anyone who is a Fallen must be purged. You already did very well. From now on, can you leave this matter to me?”

“No–”

Su Shi gasped for two quick breaths. His accumulated power burst out all of a sudden, trying to forcefully knock the other party unconscious.

This was violating the rules a bit, but he really couldn’t care too much about that at this point.

Sharp sirens immediately rang in his ear, alerting him that there was a threat to the protagonist’s safety. The shrill sound shook him and made him dizzy, but he still did not intend to stop.

He was already an arrow at the end of its flight*, but the other party should have also suffered a minor trauma, so he should still have a chance of knocking the other man unconscious. They were right next to a hot spring. There was plenty of water. As long as he could trap the other person for one day, he would still have a chance to complete his mission.

[*T/N: No more strength left.]

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After all the hard-to-accumulate power was exerted, the ice-blue light burst into a flash, but in a blink of an eye, a dark flame silently devoured it.

Esmond did not seem surprised. He stepped forward and took hold of Su Shi’s shaky body. There was no anger in his eyes, but instead a very quiet, bleak sadness.

“You forcibly interrupted the upgrade… why didn’t you get hurt?”

In this case, no matter how he looked at it, the other party was not only intact, but his strength had also made leaps and bounds.

Su Shi blinked unbelievably. His vision turned black and he held the other man’s wrist firmly.

He didn’t expect that the other person’s concern was actually this issue. Esmond was stunned. He carefully helped Su Shi sit back down and slowed his tone to speak truthfully.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

“After the upgrade prompt, it suddenly made me choose whether to continue the upgrade or suspend, I was worried about you, so I suspended the upgrade, and gave chase to you first…”

Before Esmond could finish speaking, the young Holy Paladin’s body suddenly seized. On his face was an extremely pained expression. He raised his hand and instinctively clenched at the clothes right above his heart. Fresh, red blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth.

“Ivan!”

Esmond’s breathing suddenly stopped, and he hugged the other side in his arms, his eyes almost showing a rush of blood.

But the young man’s head had fallen down weakly, and he leaned unknowingly on Esmond’s shoulder. Blood rushed from his mouth without stop. The offensive dark red color spread everywhere.

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The author has something to say:
Su Shi: spitting-blood-from-anger.jpg
System: … |ωQ`)
#Just wanted to be a bit more considerate, ah.#

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Chapter 72

The young Holy Paladin looked calmed as if he didn’t seem to feel the pain. His eyes just stared fixedly at some corner, as if he was thinking deeply about something.

The body, which had almost no strength, seemed to have finally reached its limit. It softened docilely and leaned quietly in Esmond’s arms. Those fine and long eyelashes twitched softly, and the rippling water reflected in those clear and bright eyes.

The outerwear could no longer be worn. Esmond picked out the part that had not yet been stained with blood, separated out the lining, cut it into cloth strips, and then carefully helped Su Shi wrap up a few of the deeper wounds for him.

Perceiving his movements, Ivan suddenly looked up at him. There was a moment of silence, and then his delicate and pretty brows softened helplessly into a smiling expression. “There’s no need for all the trouble. It doesn’t matter.”

Esmond’s hands shook and he held his breath subconsciously.

“The Holy Paladins use their lives to defend the pope. Since I want to assassinate the pope, of course I have to pay the price with my life. It is very reasonable.”

Su Shi looked at him, smiled lightly, and said calmly: “This is just my destiny. You are a cardinal. You should know that everyone’s destiny is foreordained. You cannot interfere or reverse it because of your own will.”

“I know, but–”

But it will still be sad.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Swallowing the unspoken words again, Esmond continued tying the cloth strips in his hand. Then he moistened a clean white cloth, and carefully cleaned the blood on Su Shi’s cheeks.

“Your injuries were caused by me. I should at least be responsible.”

The blood was slowly wiped away, revealing a particularly pale face underneath. He couldn’t help frowning. He carefully stroked that pale face a few times until the clear face was faintly pinkish, and the emptiness in his heart finally gained a fuzzy peacefulness.

“Originally, those people weren’t targeting you. They came to assassinate me under the pope’s orders. That is why their every move was murderous. Because I dragged you in, so it caused you harm…”

“You knew already?!”

Su Shi’s chest tightened. His expression stunned.

It was not necessary for the pope to assassinate a cardinal for no reason, not unless Esmond already knew the truth of the pope’s demonization.

But—he clearly took that ancient book out of the cave, and the other party should no longer have any way to learn about the truth…

“As expected, you know too.”

Looking at Su Shi’s response, Esmond’s eyes finally darkened. The hands hanging down by his side unconsciously tightened into fists.

His chest hesitated for a while before gradually calming down, and suddenly raised his hand to hold the other person’s wrist, but his strength was very careful and gentle.

Su Shi suddenly felt something wrong.

He raised his head subconsciously, and those eyes that were always deep and steady also seemed to be warmed by the water vapor in the air. Those eyes landed on Su Shi and revealed an extremely gentle grief.

“That day, I went to the prison all of a sudden, because while I was conducting a search at your house, I found a top secret assassination order from the pope targeting me.

“I had no way of telling if you never received this order, or if you had defied this order, and thus some unknown things happened that even led to you wanting to assassinate the pope—until that day when I went to see you, you told me that you were innocent, and then I finally determined everything.”

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Esmond looked at him in silence, raised his hand to his shoulder, guided the young Holy Paladin to lean into his arms, and brushed a soft kiss to his forehead. “Your ice orioles are very beautiful, Ivan… Thank you.”

Even until the end, the person in front of him still tried to use coldness and indifference as camouflage. He gifted Esmond with the last precious treasure, and led away the pursuers who followed him, so that he could safely escape from the treasure cave.

This was a kindness that was so heavy that it was almost impossible to return.

No matter why the other party wanted to protect him, whether it was because of loyalty, because of justice, or for some other reason—it was thanks to the silent guardianship from this Holy Paladin in front of him that he was able to survive up till now.

Having realized that there might be some terrible misunderstandings in his communication with the other party, Su Shi was blankly taken into Esmond’s arms. He watched the protagonist’s favorability value soaring all the way, and his vision faintly turned black.

“No, Your Excellency, our statuses are unequal…”

Su Shi could almost visibly see that along his path to death there was suddenly a high mountain and board river obstructing his way. Su Shi hurriedly opened his mouth, raised his hand to push away the other, and jumped out of the hot spring while dripping wet.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Abruptly coming out from the warm spring water, the cold stabbed at him from all sides until his body turned white. He couldn’t help straining as he leaned and knelt down. He curled his body up tightly as he coughed.

Worried that he could catch a cold like this, Esmond got out quickly and arrived at Su Shi’s side in long strides. He picked up a shirt that was still considered serviceable, wanting to wrap Su Shi up first.

Probably because his movement was too big, the weight in his hand suddenly lightened, and a book fell out from the folds of the shirt.

The book had been stained with blood, the cover and spine were mottled, and the paper was slightly yellow.

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Chapter 71

Su Shi woke up from his coma to find that the clothes on his body had been cut in half.

Seeing the Holy Paladin’s shocked and startled eyes, Esmond’s hands paused for a moment. His lips pressed together in guilty conscience. He tried to explain his actions, “Your body was all gray…”

Fire types were precisely no good on this one point, unlike water and ice types, their bodies were always clean and they never have to worry about any problems with their image.

Su Shi vaguely recalled that the other party had picked him up and ran through the fire with him. He understood what happened in a flash. He helplessly curved his brows, but still supported his body and moved backwards. He lifted a hand and removed his collar himself.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Esmond’s hands stalled in mid-air. After a moment, he retracted them and did not continue to interfere with the other person’s movements.

After all, the two of them parted on bad terms not too long ago. Neither of them knew what to say. The cave was quiet again, leaving only the sound of trickling water.

Esmond looked at Su Shi silently.

Holy Paladins were proud, and their dignity was even more important than life. Even if they had to choose a method filled with misunderstanding, they were still unwilling to open their mouths and ask for help.

But at that moment, Esmond saw with his own eyes this person in front of him slowly kneeling on the ground.

The straight back was bent into a forbearing curve, and his entire body was pulled taut. Those eyes seemed to have dimmed an awful lot, but still shone with an unwilling light.

Thus, Esmond could not continue to just look on.

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The other party’s action of taking off his clothes was a bit slow. His eyes were quietly staring off into some void, and his raised hands trembled slightly. He was clearly not as strong as he wished to be.

Esmond finally could not hold himself back anymore and walked towards Su Shi. “Your body is still very weak. Let me help you?”

The Holy Paladin raise his head and looked at him. Those eyes were once again clear and bright like crystals, so much so that it was easy to see the hidden yet deep concern in those eyes.

Su Shi had just checked the state of the treasure trove collection, and the progress bar for the body upgrading magic circle was indeed more than half gray.

Although it was not clear how the other party figured out the truth, it was obvious that such a short time could not complete the upgrade completely.

According to his experiences from so many worlds, forcibly interrupting the upgrade and running out would definitely backfire on the person. The other party’s current state was probably no better than himself.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The state of the protagonist was directly related to the success or failure of the final plot line. Su Shi lowered his gaze, deeply worried and sick at heart, and in the end, did not open his mouth to refuse the protagonist.

After receiving the acquiescence of the other party, Esmond finally walked over and carefully took off his blood-soaked clothes for him, but his eyes found themselves fixed upon the blood-red brand on the other’s neck.

The intense pain suddenly strangled his throat.

Perceiving that Esmond’s breathing was unstable, Su Shi became even more worried and looked up at him. “Are you all right?”

Esmond was still staring at him. After a brief while he answered in a low voice, “I’m fine, but you—do you know that you only have one day left…”

The execution by the papacy was actually just to show off a majestic ritual. What really took the prisoner’s life was the brand. When the brand became bright red, it meant that the death of that person was coming.

It was the same for everyone. There was no opportunity for a fluke escape by anyone.

“En, I know.”

The young Holy Paladin lifted his head and looked at him, as if calculating something, after a long moment he let out a sigh. His eyebrows bent down helplessly, and he lowered his head again to undress his body.

Looking at the other person’s calm expression, the intense rush of blood in Esmond’s eyes gradually receded, silently passed. Then he helped Su Shi take off his clothes and leaned down to gently lift him.

The body in his arms was still young and supple. It was slightly thin, but it had smooth and beautiful muscle lines due to years of tempering. Although it was heavily injured, it still revealed the lively warmth of life.

If there were no looming threat of death, who knew how many people would envy this body.

The warm spring water flowed gently. The young Holy Paladin rested quietly at the edge of the spring, leaning against the stones. He raised his head slightly to look at Esmond, seemingly uncomfortable with such feelings, and his eyes appeared vaguely uneasy.

The steaming heat blurred the sharp edges, making him seem a little smaller than he actually was, and his eyes became more clean and pure.

“Do not worry about it. The spring water here has the ability to heal. Although it can’t suppress the effect of the brand, it can always make you feel better.”

The soft voice calmed the restless young man. Then Esmond took off his clothes, stepped into the hot spring, and circled Su Shi between his arms.

Hearing that the spring water was also useful, Su Shi’s eyes unconsciously brightened. Originally, he wanted to wash himself and then get out.

The stronger the spell circle, the greater the price one would have to pay when they forcibly resisted and threw it off. If the two of them could soak in the spring water together, he could also get the other person’s body to be repaired by the water.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

It was just a little soak in a hot spring, and maybe a bit of cuddling too. The protagonist was a person who had to save the world. It was improbable for him to not let go of Su Shi after just hugging him.

Su Shi optimistically comforted himself, and let the other person circle himself in his arms to incessantly wash and wipe him clean. With single-minded devotion, Su Shi turned the list of treasures over and over again in his head. He wanted to find an alternative to make up for the deficiency of the unfinished upgrading spell circle so as to continue to advance the other person’s strength.

On the other hand, Esmond’s gaze was getting darker.

As the blood was washed off of Su Shi’s body and seeped into the spring, Su Shi’s clean body was slowly revealed and there were wounds almost all over him. Some were even still exuding blood.

Just by looking at these wounds, he could imagine what kind of hair-raising, life-or-death battle the other person just went through.

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Chapter 70

Su Shi, who was being chased through the forest in scattered disarray, suddenly heard the alarm of the protagonist’s misunderstanding value dropping sharply.

Caught off guard, Su Shi tripped and stumbled forward a few steps. A hot stab of pain immediately came from his shoulder.

The situation was a bit strange. The people who pursued him last time were just trying to re-capture him, but this time, every step was filled with the intent to kill. He wondered if the pope had guessed that Ivan already knew the truth and finally made up his mind to kill him.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

This life could not be surrendered until the required mission was completed and he had brought the pope down with him in death.

For the time being, he couldn’t afford to worry about what went wrong with the misunderstanding value this time. Su Shi increased his speed to the limit and rushed deep into the forest without looking back.

The pursuing killers were following him like his shadow.

Originally, he thought that even if he could not escape from his pursuers, he could at least be arrested, and then just wait quietly for the execution date in prison. But it would seem that the plan had already fallen through.

His body has lost its source of strength, and the influence of the brand has intensified with the passage of time. When the sky was dark again, Su Shi was still stuck in the Holy Paladins’ Tomb due to the corralling pursuers.

All possible breakout directions were closed off. Su Shi plopped straight down to the ground without any strength. His chest fluctuated fiercely and there was a painful heat in his throat that reeked of blood.

“I cannot die… I still have something I need to do.”

Although there was no hope anymore, Su Shi clenched his teeth, bowed his head, and kneeled, proactively expressing surrender to the pursuer in front of him.

“I’ll go back with you, please don’t kill me…”

At least let him see the pope. At least give him a chance to strike a final fatal blow.

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The pope had absorbed too much dark power and evil thoughts. No matter how much the protagonist improved his ability, he was destined to never win against the demonized pope.

He must live on.

The customarily straight shoulders finally bent down little by little. The young Holy Paladin dropped his gaze, his left knee nearly touched the cold ground.

The pursuer in the black robe was still unmoved and slowly walked towards Su Shi.

Hot flames suddenly rolled out between the two of them.

Before he could react, Su Shi was already expertly picked up into a bridal carry, and he could not help leaning into that familiar embrace.

“It may get a little hot. Close your eyes.”

A steady timbre sounded serenely by his ear. Su Shi could not open his mouth in time, but rather, felt a smoldering heat before his eyes. The dark flame had already blazed all around them, engulfing the pursuers without mercy.

The sound of wind picked up around them. Strong arms held Su Shi tightly against a broad chest, but he could still faintly detect his whole body heat up almost to the point of being a dry husk. He felt like all the water was burned and evaporated out from his body, causing his vision to turn dark.

Don’t know how long it took before the surroundings cooled down again.

His awareness was already getting very fuzzy. Dizzily, Su Shi wondered where had he left a hole. He blinked his eyes with difficulty, but in spite of himself, he still sunk into a peaceful darkness.

Finding the hot springs cave, Esmond finally came to a stop and carefully laid down the Holy Paladin in his arms.

Blood has thoroughly soaked through the young man’s clothes. His face was pale and bloodless. His eyebrows were drawn together tightly and his lips looked pale and dry.

Flowing water trickled down from the cracks in the stones. Remembering what he saw the Holy Paladin do during the day, Esmond folded a leaf and carefully gathered up some water. Then he lifted Su Shi up and fed the drowsy Holy Paladin.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

When the cool water touched his lips, the sleeping person in his arms still showed some instinctual urgency, and his throat worked hard to drink the water, his Adam’s apple bobbing, clearly very thirsty.

Afraid that he would hurt himself while struggling to drink, Esmond quickly stabilized him and carefully fed him some water.

The clear water finally comforted the young Holy Paladin’s intense thirst and anxiety, and he gradually relaxed. He drowsed peacefully with his eyes shut. The original gentleness and peace returned to his brows.

Thinking of everything that happened in the treasure cave, Esmond’s eyes darkened, and a faint pain silently spread through his chest.

The soul in this body was still kind and sincere. Although he wore a realistically frigid mask, he still silently guarded the people around him in the gentlest way.

Looking at the young Holy Paladin’s brows, which were finally at ease, Esmond contrarily did not feel relieved. He raised his hand subconsciously, trying to wipe off the blood and ash stains on that beautiful face.

The blood stains had dried up, and even after several wipes, it was not all cleaned off. Esmond frowned, and then his eyes suddenly landed on the hot springs off to the side.

……

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Chapter 69

“Ivan, do you still want to assassinate the pope?”

Constrained by the spell, Esmond could only watch Su Shi’s movements, his eyes fixed on him.

Su Shi didn’t deny what he said. He put the crystal around his neck. With cold sarcasm in his eyes, he said, “Do you still believe in my innocence, Your Excellency Es?”

Seeing such a cold look on that face, Esmond’s heart tightened, his gaze dropped, and he fell silent.

His gaze was still calm, but his eyebrows couldn’t help pressing lightly together. His forehead faintly exuded some cold sweat. There were sparks of electricity leaping across his taut muscles.

Seeing the protagonist’s response, Su Shi could not help but step back half a step.

There was nothing to use in this cave as a seal, only this spell circle, which purportedly could comprehensively improve a person’s all-around fitness, and it had the effect of trapping a person within for a short period of time.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Su Shi only had a little over a day’s worth of time left. If he calculated correctly, he could still make it in time, so he misled the protagonist and had him step inside the spell circle, but he did not expect that the transformation process would be so painful.

Fortunately, he didn’t go in himself.

Looking at the highlighted button on the selection menu, Su Shi could not help but rejoice.

This process would continue for at least one day. The protagonist could still upgrade smoothly, and by the time the protagonist improved his strength and escaped the cave, Su Shi would have already self-destructed with the pope.

The plotline was joining together smoothly. Maybe the protagonist would misunderstand Su Shi’s actions as wanting to harm him, and nab Su Shi another S-grade rating.

Sighing with satisfaction, Su Shi turned to leave, but the person behind him suddenly made a noise.

“I still believe in you, Ivan.”

Su Shi’s footsteps faltered. His expression could not help sinking.

“Your actions are indeed causing me pain, but I believe that you must have your own reasons.”

Esmond raised his gaze and fixed his eyes on Su Shi. His eyes were quiet and deep, as if he could see right through to the thoughts in Su Shi’s heart directly through his eyes.

“‘If you fight with the dragon for too long, you will become a dragon yourself.’ You are the Holy Paladin who guards at the pope’s side. Something that can make you act so unscrupulously could only be because the pope himself has committed some irreparable sin that cannot be known…”

“You think too much.”

If he kept letting the other person think along this line, he might be able to reason out the truth from nothing.

Su Shi quickly interrupted Esmond in a deep voice. He walked in front of Esmond. His eyes held a mocking cold chill and they relentlessly pierced the other party.

“The nature of the Fallen is destruction, and the high-level Fallen also knows how to pretend. Lord Bishop, not all corruption and demonization can be seen at a glance—I was just acting to deceive you, to gain your trust, and then to steal your crystal…”

Hearing his words, Esmond narrowed his eyes and finally lowered his gaze in silence. His body was bound by the spell, but his hands still clenched into tight fists.

Unfortunately the target person of this mission was the protagonist, so Su Shi could not cause Esmond harm, otherwise Su Shi would take advantage of this situation to knock the protagonist unconscious and stabilize his experience points.

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Su Shi regretted this point deep in his heart. He walked quickly to the corner where the stack of wooden boxes was and rummaged for the dangerous ancient book. Tucking the book into his arms, he finally left the cave with confident ease.

The young Holy Paladin walked away without looking back. His thin figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, and his stumbling footsteps slowly faded away.

The pain on Esmond’s body became more and more intense, but it still could not cover the bitterness in his heart.

Imprisoned by the spell circle, Esmond’s chest heaved up and down, and his dark pupils were burning with intense flames.

He should find himself ridiculous, but what was even more ridiculous was that he has been trapped here but he still did not want to believe that it was all a scam.

The glimpse that he saw at that time still remained in his mind. In the dark cave, the firelight flickered quietly in those eyes, like the only light in the infinite dark night, making one’s heart feel warm.

Clearly, those eyes were bright and unclouded, but then it was polluted by a dark chilliness. Whatever the case, it made people feel out of sorts.

The spell suddenly began to change, and the pain became more intense, crushing almost every inch of his body. Esmond gasped sharply, his body shook, and he could not stop the trembling. Black mist clouded his vision.

He gasped and lowered his head, his eyes finally dimmed.

“The first phase of physical fitness upgrade is about to be completed, coming up next is the upgrading of your original innate skill level, please continue to stay awake…”

From the silent stone room came an unfamiliarly cool and steady voice.

The tone was very rigid. It was evidently a pre-recorded line that was only triggered under certain specific conditions.

There were shocked speculations in his heart, as if a sharp bolt of lightning had cut through the thick fog, and Esmond suddenly looked up.

In his eyes, a bright light lit up again.

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The author has something to say:

Su Shi: This is the feeling of freedom!!! ─=≡Σ┏(≧▽≦)┛

#Oh no, I’ve caused the host trouble, what should I do?#

#Stuff a hidden treasure trove into his hands, and then add a recorded voice notice to the whole set, is that enough?#

#Ah, I’m done asking.#