Felix imdiately noticed Vishi’s flaw upon hearing this, and sure enough, Ash asked, "So, from the beginning, there was no need to break the ruby chain?"
"I don’t want to argue with you," Vishi looked at Ash with a distant gaze and said confidently in a low voice, "I just wanted to take advantage of the situation and trick you into breaking the chain; is that so hard to understand? Do you really have to embarrass right now?"
Why does it seem like it’s my fault... Ash felt a bit helpless, he thought for a mont but still shook his head, "I said I would help you complete the trial, you don’t need to face it alone."
"But don’t you still need to help the Sword Witch?" Vishi’s voice was weak, even this low level of argunt left her exhausted, like a drowned rat, her whole body covered in a thin layer of sweat, "Can’t you just not bother with and focus on helping them?"
At other tis, Ash might suspect Vishi was being jealous and sarcastic, but now Vishi didn’t have the leisure for such a tone, she truly thought so.
As Ash wiped the sweat from Vishi’s neck, he asked, "Why do you want to complete the trial alone?"
"Because I can, isn’t that reason enough?"
"Not enough." Ash suddenly cupped Vishi’s face, forcing her to look into his eyes, "Did you just lie? Do you have a heart’s desire that requires my help?"
Vishi wanted to look away, but Ash moved directly in front of her, pressing his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and said firmly, "No."
Ash’s right hand suddenly clenched in the air, and an illusory ruby necklace appeared around her neck, the chain extending into his hand. "Lying ans nothing to ," he said calmly, "I could just order you to speak. Since you have a heart’s desire, why don’t I just help you complete it to pass the trial, why are you—"
His voice abruptly stopped.
Vishi slowly opened her glistening eyes, looking at him through tears, a drop falling on the back of his hand. "No," her voice had a slightly hoarse tone, "I just don’t!"
"Don’t ask anything, just let finish the trial myself, will you? I really don’t need you... Can’t you go help the Sword Witch and them?"
Ash wiped her tear-stained face with his thumb and sighed helplessly, "From what the Drama Poet told us about the specifics of the trial, I was most worried that the Sword Witch and others would insist on bearing it alone to avoid troubling . Yet, I never thought you’d go against ... You clearly know the trial content just as I do, you know cooperation is the simplest shortcut... I don’t understand why you insist on doing the trial alone."
"Is it that you simply can’t bear to let know your heart’s desire?" Ash’s voice was very light, as if afraid to puncture a bubble he didn’t want to acknowledge, "Is exposing your soul to so uncomfortable for you? You’d rather take enormous risks than let an outsider into your world?"
"No, no." Vishi shook her head, "It has nothing to do with the heart’s desire... Don’t think that way, please?"
"Then why won’t you let help you fulfill your heart’s desire?"
"Because what I’m refusing is not you!" Vishi seed to use all her strength to say this, leaning against Ash, gasping for breath, "I’m refusing... your help. I don’t want you to help , do you understand?"
"I don’t understand." Ash couldn’t comprehend, "I thought you should be the most cooperative; unlike the Sword Witch who prioritizes my interests above all else, to you, you yourself are the most important. You seek to use to beco the Supre of Magic, have you forgotten? You only need to shalessly accept my help as before, why so suddenly... rebellious?"
Felix, standing to the side, found it strange; rebellion’s context should be about good children turning bad, but now it seed like describing a wealthy second-generation who always just played suddenly wanting to start a business venture.
"Precisely because I am the most important, I must refuse your help." The frail elf pushed herself up, "I can’t rely on you anymore."
"Why can’t you rely on ?"
"Because I’m afraid I won’t ever leave you." Vishi tightly gripped Ash’s shoulders, raising her brows to reveal a stubborn tear-streaked face, "I’m afraid you’ve really locked in!"
"You always worry that one day I’ll betray you... Actually, I worry too." She said, "I worry that when that day cos, I won’t be able to betray you anymore."
"But what will I have left then? A beautiful body nad Demon Maid? Maybe you think that kind of is the best, with emotions, bonds, armor, and weakness... But losing the self I’ve persisted with for thousands of years, how is that different from being dead?"
"When you shackled with the ruby chain, I wasn’t afraid; even if my soul was bound, my heart was still free. But since the trial began, I’ve had a strong premonition..." Vishi whispered, "If I accept your help this ti, I’ll truly lose even the last bit of freedom."
Felix stared blankly at the revealing Vishi, as if recognizing this insane fanatic for the first ti. It turns out that in Vishi, who seed to have no principles and put interests above all, there were limits that no amount of interest could break down. Even facing Ash, she wouldn’t compromise... because that bottom line was her life. If she denied that bottom line, what would she have left?
"Ash, tell , who am I?" Vishi grabbed Ash’s collar, biting her lip as she questioned, "Who can I be? Who should I be?"
Her attitude was so firm, yet the tears in her eyes were so soft, making Ash slightly dazed. After a brief silence, Ash sighed, his fingers clasping the ruby chain.
A trace of sadness crossed Vishi’s eyes, but her face remained defiantly stubborn as she opened her mouth, wanting to bite Ash. Ash extended a finger to press against her forehead, the chain swinging before her eyes.
"Ghost Prophet,"
Ash said seriously, "All the restrictions I ever placed on you, as of this second, are nullified!"
Vishi stared at him dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or cry, appearing sowhat adorably confused. She seed to want to say sothing, but her eyes closed softly, her whole body relaxing into Ash’s embrace.
Ash and Felix exchanged a glance, both showing helpless smiles. As Ash picked Vishi up, a flicker of silver light passed through the passage, transforming into a voice ringing in their ears:
"The Sword Maiden is in trouble."
...
...
When Ash arrived at the Sword Maiden’s chamber, Weiser asked, "Where’s Felix?"
"She’s taking care of Vishi." Ash quickly stepped to the bedside, reaching out to touch the Sword Maiden’s forehead, the heat turning his palm red, "What’s going on?"
"Just recently, her condition suddenly worsened, her temperature rising. If this is the soul body’s resistance chanism kicking in, it indicates the trial curse is strengthening," Weiser said, "If this continues, I’m afraid only one between her and the trial curse can survive."
"Why did it suddenly worsen?" Ash appeared astonished, "The Witch’s status had clearly improved—"
"Though it’s unclear what the connection is," said Dedarose nearby, "but when the Sword Maiden’s temperature started changing, it was right after you brought the Witch back from the Tower."
Perhaps because it concerned the Sword Maiden, Ash instantly speculated the trial link among the three, "When I help one of them complete a trial, do the other two’s curses worsen?"
"We can’t rule out this possibility," Weiser said, "The question now is how to help the Sword Maiden?"
"The current clue is to fulfill their heart’s desire to help them pass the trial, but..."
Ash held Sonia’s hand, the once lively red-haired girl now grimacing in discomfort, he suddenly rembered the weakened Vishi, who could only crawl on the carpet earlier. No wonder Vishi asked who completed the trial imdiately on eting, her curse had worsened too... Seeing the struggling Sword Maiden like this, Ash dared not imagine what kind of pain Vishi endured while bargaining with him.
But now the Sword Maiden was in a faint, how could he learn her heart’s desire?
Suddenly, Ash seed to hear Sonia muttering sothing, so he imdiately tucked into the bed beside her to listen. Sonia naturally turned to lean into Ash’s embrace, he felt like holding a furnace.
Sonia’s voice was hazy, like unconscious murmuring, and Ash listened for a long ti before finally hearing a key word:
"Mom."
Ash looked dazedly at the red-haired girl whose frown gradually eased, sighing gently as he held her tightly in his arms.
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