“You’re living at Felix’s house now!?”
Sonya was stunned. Even when the Witch revealed that she had been Ashe’s daughter just a few months ago, it hadn’t hit her as hard as this news. She searched her mind for a suitable line for this moment, and finally squeezed out, “Are you crazy?”
“Don’t you think it’s a brilliant idea?” Ashe was a bit puzzled. “We were still thinking about how to settle down in Galaxia, and then Felix appeared. It’s like we were just preparing the vinegar and a Lala Fatty fell from the sky!”
Deya thought for a moment. “If I remember correctly, isn’t Felix the Cultist who wants to persuade the sword Princess to join the Four Pillars Cult?”
“That’s exactly what makes it brilliant!” Ashe said. “No normal person would accept the three of us sanctuary sorcerers, and I don’t want to implicate any innocent people. The Stars Kingdom leaves us exotic travelers with no room for Spin, but at the same time, the Stars Kingdom would never tolerate the Four Pillars Cult!”
“Although contacting the Four Pillars Cult is risky, compared to the Stars Kingdom, the Four Pillars Cult, which operates like a high-end private club, is at most a small gang with mafia tendencies. We have plenty of experience ‘fighting the whole world,’ but we’re just as good at ‘fighting the Four Pillars Cult.’ This time, we finally get to choose our difficulty, so of course I’ll pick the easier Four Pillars Cult.”
“What’s more, do you think we’re afraid of the Four Pillars Cult, or the Four Pillars Cult is afraid of us?” Ashe spread his hands. “If they insist on dealing with us, once the three of us sanctuary sorcerers make a scene, the worst that could happen is we lose our precious lives, but the Four Pillars Cult would be discovered by the Stars Kingdom and uprooted!”
“The Four Pillars Cult is not well-known in the Stars Kingdom, so obviously stealth is their specialty, and we just happen to need local forces to help us hide. This is a two-way Rush, a win-win!”
Deya tilted her head. “How is it a win-win?”
Ashe made a V sign. “The Four Pillars Cult helps hide our tracks, that’s one win; we disgust the Four Pillars Cult, maybe even get a chance to frame them, that’s another win.”Ashe’s decision wasn’t made on a whim. Even if he did act on impulse, Igor was watching from the side. Forcing Felix to use the Four Pillars Cult did get unanimous approval from the fugitive trio. After all, if they had to go up against the local authorities, it made sense to choose a local criminal organization with plenty of experience in resistance.
Besides, to be honest, after entangling with the Four Pillars Cult for so long in the Senlo wasteland, they had long since lost any illusions about the Four Pillars Cult. They’d gone in and out of the Senlo Four Pillars, who ruled half the wasteland, seven times-could they really not handle the underperforming Stars Four Pillars?
We’re giving you trouble because we think highly of you, Stars Four Pillars, so don’t be ungrateful!
There was another point, though Ashe and the others didn’t say it out loud or admit it, they all felt that they couldn’t avoid the Four Pillars Cult anyway, so they might as well take the initiative. It was better than living in constant fear.
Ashe of the Blood Moon, Eternal Presence of the Gospel, Mercury Trojan Horse of Senlo… If anyone said they could come to the Stars Kingdom and not get involved with the Four Pillars Cult, even the cautious Igor wouldn’t believe it.
Of course, the most important factor was still their strength as sanctuary sorcerers and their bizarre experiences. After all, they had all survived the Blood Moon Prison Break, fought Gospel sorcerers in the Yisuo Royal Palace, and witnessed deities destroying the world in the wasteland. There weren’t many legendary sorcerers in this world with more experience than them.
In the past, they might not have dared to use the Four Pillars Cult, but after personally participating in so many major events-Ashe had slain deities, Harvey had killed a legend, Igor had defeated Tactile Sense-how could they still be afraid of the mere Four Pillars Cult?
“But why didn’t you come to me?”
Sonya shook her head and said, “You know I’m a sophomore at Swordflower College. You don’t need to use Felix at all.”
“But aren’t you living in the dorm?” Ashe smiled. “Do you want to hide me in your bed? Would your roommates agree?”
“I could get a hotel room!” Sonya said. “It’s not like I don’t have money. Even if you need a more secret hiding place, I could probably help you find one.”
Ashe laughed. “I know you mean well, but sheltering us is a serious crime, and we don’t want to implicate innocent people. Felix is different. For us, if we can drag the Four Pillars Cult down with us, that’s perfect…”
“I’m not innocent.”
Ashe was stunned. He looked up and met the sword Princess’s autumn-water eyes, suddenly feeling his lips go dry.
“What was your original plan?” she asked. “You didn’t actually plan to tell me you’d come to the Stars Kingdom tonight, did you?”
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. Ashe was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said slowly, “I wanted to see how things went first.”
“See what?”
“See your attitude,” Ashe said. “For example, discussing my plans after coming to the Stars with you in the Virtual Realm. If you really wanted to stay in the Stars Kingdom, couldn’t let go of everything here, and the Stars Kingdom couldn’t accept me as a foreigner… then after I found a way to leave, I’d meet you once.”
Sonya: “But only once?”
“Not necessarily,” Ashe shrugged. “Maybe twice, three times… but I wouldn’t make you choose, and I wouldn’t ask you to give up anything.”
“I actually already regret it. I was bewitched by your beauty just now and couldn’t help but say it.” He lowered his head and closed his eyes, speaking softly, “What I should have done was keep it hidden until the end, leave without meeting you… sword Princess, you’re too impulsive, but so am I.”
Sonya only felt a surge of anger burning from her feet to her head. “Yes, I’m the impulsive one. But you didn’t want to keep your promise, you came to Stars and didn’t notify me right away, you’d even rather stay with Felix than ask me for help-does that make you cautious?”
“When I said impulsive, I meant you wanting to leave Stars Kingdom with me.” Ashe said, “That’s the future I most want to avoid.”
“Not long ago you said you’d trust me, not interfere with my future, and now it’s your turn to criticize my decisions?” Sonya pressed her lips together, clearly furious. “Do you want me to call you Dad too?”
Deya: “Hey!”
“I think it’s my fault,” Ashe said. “I always tell you about those life-and-death adventures, thunder and fire, but in reality you only have bland study and cultivation. Maybe I made you yearn for a life of fleeting adventure, made you long for a life outside campus… That’s why you think you can accept the price of leaving Stars Kingdom.”
Sonya’s shoulders trembled, her eyes brimming with tears. “So you mean I’m just acting on a whim-you have no idea what I’ve prepared, or how much resolve I’ve made!”
“I know-“
“You don’t know! You think I’m some ignorant girl who changes her mind every five minutes, or some fool obsessed with romance dramas, you assume I’ll definitely regret it in the future-“
“I’m not assuming you’ll regret it, I just know that I definitely will!” Ashe looked at Sonya, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s me who can’t bear your sacrifice.”
Sonya and Deya were both stunned.
“You give up everything to elope with me to another Kingdom-how could I not want that, not like that? I wish we could fly away tomorrow, spend every day and night together, best if we could honeymoon with the Witch for a few years.” Ashe held his forehead, almost self-deprecatingly. “But you’re not me, nor Igor or Harvey-you’re different from us rootless travelers. You have family, friends, a career.”
Ashe glanced at Deya. “My home is in Gospel, in the Yisuo Royal Palace. But sword Princess, your home is in Stars, in Galaxia. You already have many important things in your life, and I’m just one of them.”
“But I know what’s most important to me.” Sonya said softly, “Don’t worry, whatever I give, I’ll get back from you tenfold, a hundredfold. When have you ever seen me suffer a loss? You don’t have to worry about not being able to repay me.”
“Even if you give nothing, I’ll still give you tenfold, a hundredfold.” Ashe smiled. “Everything best about me, I’ll give to you…”
Meeting Deya’s eager gaze, Ashe blinked, “…to you both.”
“Then isn’t that fine?” Sonya spread her hands. “I give my first half of life, and gain my second half.”
“That’s the biggest problem.” Ashe said. “I can’t bear, and can’t accept, you sacrificing your first half of life.”
“Why do you have to be so troublesome?”
“Because I really did lose my first half of life.”
Facing the two’s bewildered looks, Ashe let out a long breath. “I used to have parents and brothers, friends, and a career… Although my life now is good, I met you all, and gained so much, but I still left many precious things in the past.”
“But I can’t go back, maybe I’ll never be able to go back.”
Ashe looked up, gazing seriously at Sonya. “Your life shouldn’t have only one important thing. Parents, friends, career-these beautiful things are also important parts of you. I like the sword Princess who brags to me about her achievements, the sword Princess who tells me what furniture she bought for her mother today, the sword Princess who uses sharp words to roast her roommates.”
“Besides what I give you tenfold, a hundredfold, you deserve to embrace even more beautiful futures.”
“I don’t want you to experience the sorrow of losing your past, and even less do I want to become your sorrow.”
The more Ashe spoke, the smoother his thoughts became, and the more determined his heart grew. “I’ll meet you in Stars, but I’ll never take you away from Stars. Even if you hate me, it doesn’t matter, I’ll definitely slip away quietly.”
Sonya closed her eyes, slowly shook her head, and let out a soft sigh.
“That’s too unfair,” she said. “You know I could never hate you.”