It was very good at telling jokes, like the one that goes, "You give it a fish first, and then when it recovers in the Divine Kingdom, it will grant them the position of a Great Angel!"
What Flora regretted a little was that the black cat always liked to cling to Herbert, either lying on his head or hiding in his shadow.
On ordinary days, it had little contact with her and wouldn't let her stroke its sleek fur.
Even if it did have contact, it would only size up her figure from top to bottom and ultimately shake its head regretfully, letting out an exaggerated sigh.
However, none of these people accompanied them to the end. After spending so ti, they would quietly leave.
So returned to their own city-states, so found their paths, so were taken back to the tower by ntors, and so disappeared into the jungle.
So ca, so left.
On this journey, they experienced both etings and farewells.
The black cat was the last to leave.
On the last day of the farewell, it quietly looked at her without another exaggerated sigh, nodded, and said sothing incomprehensible.
It said:
"Hmm, you're not bad."
After saying this ambiguous comnt, the black cat completely disappeared.
Flora felt a bit of regret about others leaving, but she could still accept it.
Because although many people left, one person chose to stay by her side.
Herbert was still there.
"Herbert, you... you're not leaving?"
After a hundred years, Flora asked that question once again.
And this ti, without needing Herbert to answer, she already knew his response—"Are you trying to drive away?"
The noisy young man was just like a hundred years ago, his appearance had not changed, nor had his deanor.
He still stayed by her side.
Herbert was the reason Flora could hold on.
With him there, she wouldn't fall apart.
So, recognizing herself, Flora quickly said, "No, I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay, stay by my side."
And the young man's smile was as warm as ever, nodding slightly, and softly said, "Then, as you wish."
After the black cat left, Flora's relationship with Herbert beca even closer.
In the following hundreds of years, they continued their journey.
Their group did not change, no new companions joined, it was only the two of them.
Although they t many people on the road, both enemies and allies, ultimately none left a deeper mark in their lives.
And just when Flora thought everything would continue this way... they finally reached an ending.
After rescuing so pitiful slaves and guiding their uprising rebellion, they retired after their success and rested at the mountain top.
They sat on the mountain, overlooking the city below that had burst into flas, admiring their handiwork.
They liberated those slaves, giving them a new choice.
Even though it might an physical death, they gained freedom of the soul.
Perhaps to others, this was an unacceptable gift, but to a Demon, this was already a rather good choice.
It was at this mont that Herbert suddenly spoke.
"Flora, I'm leaving."
!!!
The developnt she never expected left Flora stunned in place.
"What... did you say?"
"You heard it, just as you heard."
"..."
Flora fell silent.
There was no preparation, not a hint of an on.
They hadn't argued, nor did they have any disagreent.
Yet the closest companion suddenly wanted to leave her.
"...Why?"
After a long silence, Flora hoarsely asked, "Is it because I'm an Enchanting Demon?"
Herbert shook his head, gently said, "Not because of that, I knew your identity, I knew from the beginning."
And his answer made Flora even more confused.
If he knew from the beginning, then why did he suddenly choose to leave at this mont?
"Then... are you worried about my betrayal? Because of the Demon bloodline?"
"No, Flora, I never worried about your betrayal."
Herbert lowered his gaze, gently shook his head, and warmly said, "It's not because of these."
"Then why!!?" Flora asked angrily, glaring at the heartless young man before her.
You know I don't want you to leave!
You know I can't lose you!
Why still make such a ruthless choice?
And faced with Flora's sorrowful gaze, Herbert's eyes were extraordinarily calm—just as profound as they were when they first t hundreds of years ago.
Herbert gazed at Flora with gray eyes, softly said, "Because, this is your past alone."
"I can't accompany you to the end."
!!!
Completely unpredictable words shocked Flora to her core, she felt as if a heavy hamr had struck her head.
Buzz—
Her body swayed for a mont, took two steps back before she barely stood firm and didn't fall to the ground.
She clutched her head, struggling to look at Herbert, gritting her teeth, asked, "What... are you saying?"
"Don't understand?"
Herbert smiled, then slowly walked to Flora's front, gently wrapped her waist, softly said, "You will understand... now, you will rember everything."
Saying this, he gently kissed Flora on the forehead.
"You... Ah."
Then, just as Herbert said, Flora suddenly rembered everything.
The dream ended.
A long beautiful dream lasting hundreds of years suddenly ca to an end.
Upon waking from a nightmare, one feels fortunate, glad that nothing happened.
But when a beautiful dream ends, one feels endless emptiness.
Flora fell into unbearable emptiness.
She suddenly realized, it was all fake.
This long journey, there were never any other people.
No company from Herbert.
Only herself.
She went through that difficult ti alone.
"..."
Flora was silent for a long ti, then looked up at Herbert, asked with difficulty.
"Are you mocking ?"
She had been deceived.
She knew clearly, the young man before her was not an illusion from her dreams but a real person who had intruded into her dream.
He played with her mory, fabricated a false dream.
But at this mont, what surged in Flora's heart was not anger... but sadness.
Instead of questioning Herbert's intentions, she wished those mories were real and not an illusory bubble.
And faced with Flora's question, Herbert's emotions remained calm, gently explained, "Flora, you understand, I can't change your past."
"No matter how much I wish to truly appear in that ti, I can't change what has already happened."
"During the ti I was absent, you indeed endured much alone."
"Loneliness, sadness, bitterness... you watched them co, and also bid them farewell."
He hugged Flora tightly, feeling her trembling body, slightly squinting his eyes.
Herbert took a deep breath, lowered his head, looked into the Enchanting Demon's eyes, earnestly said:
"Indeed I do not exist in the first half of your mories, but I can stay in your future life forever."
"If, the relationship with others starts from eting and ends at farewell."
"Then perhaps, our relationship can be reversed."
"This ti, I will leave, but it doesn't an the end."
Herbert lowered his head, gently yet firmly said:
"Because, having already experienced the farewell, our lives are left only with etings."
After saying so, he gently kissed her.
But the mont he kissed, the dream suddenly shattered.
...
!!?
In the magma pool, Flora suddenly opened her eyes.
But before she could make sense of the situation, she saw a face inches away—still Herbert!
"Hmm!!?"
Herbert paused for a mont, smiled at her, then—Flora's already wide-open eyes widened even more.
Because, holding her, Herbert continued to kiss after greeting.
Trying to escape?
Can you escape?
Flora: !!?
"You, wait... ugh!!?"
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