Chapter 175: Complex and Simple Villain
Everything around them was enormous; the white structures appeared blurry, only faint outlines emerging in the golden, floating light.
Yu Mo realized this was likely a vision of the divine kingdom.
But now, the vision was twisting uneasily, spiraling toward the figure pinned to the pillar.
If this near-death vision of the space between life and death collapsed, even reaching the underworld would be impossible; his soul would simply disperse.
Yu Mo gripped the necklace imbued with the power of the moon’s essence and stepped through the intangible air, heading straight for Peruth on the white stone pillar.
The cardinal’s expression was peaceful and serene; if it weren’t for the cruelly impaled scepter in his chest and the blood flowing forth, he would have looked as if he had fallen asleep in a sunlit garden.
Yu Mo’s hand passed through Peruth’s platinum hair, soft as silk, brushing his cheek.
After entering the space between life and death, he had watched this face mature from boyish youthfulness to composed adulthood, even glimpsing a corner of another world.
Those “Peruths” swept past him like scenery outside a train window, constantly pulled further away by time.
Now, this “Peruth” was the end of his journey.
“Wake up.”
“…”
“Peruth, it’s time to wake up.”
The cardinal opened his eyes and, seeing him, revealed a familiar smile. “…Eloren.”
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Yu Mo met those thick, honey-like eyes. “I need you, so could you come back to see me?”
A hint of surprise appeared in Peruth’s gaze. “Hmm, is this a dream before death?”
Yu Mo yanked off the necklace in his hand and pressed it to Peruth’s chest.
Under Yu Mo’s palm, Peruth’s chest was almost motionless, blood flowing over his hand. He could feel Peruth’s body twitching in pain.
The moon’s power—imbued with “death,” “dreams,” and “chaos” in this world—allowed him to walk within the space between life and death, and now, it could aid Peruth in this moment from another realm.
As the moon’s power radiated outward, half of the golden-lit sky above them fell into darkness, turning into a night-like shroud.
Half the sky was bathed in brilliant sunlight, the other half in tranquil moonlight.
Yu Mo relaxed slightly, realizing his assumption had been correct.
His guess was right: the moon’s power couldn’t alter the past, but it could influence Peruth, who was in the process of dying.
The moon’s presence was fleeting, but it was enough for the dying cardinal to draw strength and break free from the scepter lodged in his chest.
As Yu Mo released his hand, he was immediately forced out of the space between life and death.
“Hurry back and see me, Your Excellency,” Yu Mo said before disappearing, his tone as indifferent as ever.
In the true divine kingdom, the figure pinned to the pillar fluttered his lashes, slowly raising a hand to grasp the scepter in his chest.
For a brief moment, the sun-covered sky of the divine kingdom turned to night. In that instant, the golden scepter dissolved, and the figure fell from the pillar.
…
In the Holy Temple, the teleportation magic circle glowed, and a bloodied figure stepped out.
Priest Jacob, standing guard, was startled by the unexpected teleportation—it had not been pre-announced.
Seeing that it was Cardinal Peruth and sensing his weakened state, Jacob was even more alarmed.
“Cardinal Peruth! How did you sustain such severe injuries?”
As the priest overseeing the teleportation circle, Jacob understood more than most.
Not long ago, His Holiness the Pope had returned gravely injured and was still lying unconscious in the high tower, with Cardinal Croft attending to his wounds.
How was it that, in such a short time, Cardinal Peruth was also so severely injured?
Because of the cardinal’s dire condition, Jacob forgot to ask about the nature of his sudden return through the teleportation circle and hurried forward to support him.
Peruth’s steps were unsteady, his cardinal’s hat lost, and his blood-stained hair lay loosely around his shoulders as he held his hand to his chest.
Without a word, he reached out only when Jacob approached him.
A stream of deep purple magic swirled in his palm, enveloping the unprepared Jacob.
Moments later, Jacob’s expression went blank, his eyes unfocused, as though he no longer saw Peruth. He turned back to his post and resumed tending to the magic stones.
Peruth moved forward without disturbing anyone.
He coughed softly, and the blood that dripped onto the floor vanished under the spell’s effect, leaving no trace behind.
Though he knew he should rest and heal as soon as possible, a strange urge in his heart urged him to see someone first.
The thought came unbidden, yet it gradually took over his mind.
A cool voice whispered in his ear, “I’m waiting for you…”
The words were as ephemeral as an illusion, perhaps just a dying hallucination, for his Eloren wasn’t the sort to say such things.
Peruth coughed up a little more blood and chuckled silently.
*
In the manor’s basement, Yu Mo opened his eyes within the magic circle.
The boat-shaped circle was designed to carry someone into the space between life and death, its center filled with irises that bridged life and death.
A pure white narcissus lay upon Yu Mo’s chest; the water-dwelling, moon-imbued flower would guide him back from beneath the water’s depths.
The smoke and candles placed in the magic circle had burned out, and the lines of the magic array drawn with silver powder had dimmed and lost their luster after exhausting all their power.
“Teacher, you finally woke up!” Amos exclaimed, standing up happily, his eyes ringed with dark circles.
Yu Mo replied with a soft “hm,” sitting up from the boat-shaped magic circle and closing his eyes to relieve the dizziness and discomfort.
“Teacher, you slept for a whole day and night,” Amos said quietly, helping him rise from the rapidly wilting aquatic flowers.
“I know,” Yu Mo said, steadying himself before waving his hand to indicate that Amos could let go. “It’s fine. Go do your thing.”
The teacher was known for his decisiveness and aloof demeanor, so Amos had no choice but to withdraw his hand and follow him, watching as he returned to his room to rest.
He didn’t know what the teacher had done this time and didn’t dare ask if it had gone well. However, the teacher seemed emotionally stable, so it was likely a success, right?
Yu Mo returned to his room and leaned against the side of the bed, waiting quietly.
He closed his eyes to rest, unaware of how long it had been until he suddenly heard a faint sound.
The injured cardinal unexpectedly appeared on his balcony.
Leaving a trail of bloodied footprints, he walked in and smiled at Yu Mo, who was leaning against the bed. “Were you waiting for me?”
Yu Mo felt a sudden thump in his heart. He got up, took two steps forward, and reached out his arms. Peruth collapsed into his embrace, pressing down heavily on him.
“Eloren, seeing me in such a sorry state for the first time, aren’t you surprised?”
It wasn’t the first time.
Peruth couldn’t remember what had happened in the space between life and death, nor the brief encounters they had shared.
But Yu Mo hadn’t forgotten; he wasn’t sure if it was because his soul didn’t belong to this world or if it was due to the system.
“I was waiting for you,” Yu Mo answered the previous question, helping him lie down on the edge of the bed.
Peruth sank into the bed, filled with Yu Mo’s presence. Hearing that he had waited for him, he felt a wave of disorientation and chuckled softly, “So it’s true.”
He looked at Yu Mo’s face and briefly lost consciousness, only to be roused by the warmth in his chest.
The dark magic’s waves leaped at the wound on his chest.
Yu Mo held the sapphire star necklace in one hand and pressed the other against Peruth’s chest, sitting at the edge of the bed to treat him.
A few empty magical healing potions were placed beside the bed.
“Even if I leave it untreated, I won’t die; I just need time to recover,” Peruth said. “My vitality has always been resilient.”
Each time he reached the brink of despair, he could still drag his dying body forward. It seemed he was gradually becoming accustomed to this.
Yu Mo’s hand reached toward his lips, and Peruth caught a faint scent. “Hmm, it’s the fragrance of the narcissus.”
Before he finished speaking, the person who exuded that subtle narcissus scent had already leaned down and kissed his pale lips.
Their intimate contact was actually quite rare, and Peruth hadn’t expected Yu Mo to kiss him suddenly, his expression one of surprise.
The suddenness of it made him cough involuntarily, turning his head away and breaking the connection of their lips as he spat out a mouthful of blood tinged with a metallic taste.
But in the next moment, the fingers that had been supporting his chin increased their pressure, forcefully turning his head back.
The person who had leaned down maintained the same position, sealing his lips once more, swallowing both the sweetness and bitterness from Peruth’s mouth.
The sound of swallowing was unclear, and without realizing it, Peruth lifted his hand to rest on Yu Mo’s neck.
After a long while, Yu Mo finally pulled away from the pillow, and their previously pale lips had taken on a vivid color.
Peruth continued to watch Yu Mo’s lips, sensing that his kiss seemed to carry something more than before, and for a moment, it felt particularly tender.
But now, Yu Mo’s gaze had grown somewhat cold, and the fingers gripping Peruth’s chin tightened further.
“Next time, don’t be foolish again.”
His tone sounded angry.
Lying on the bed, Peruth was momentarily at a loss for words, then hoarsely asked, “Did I do something?”
Yu Mo placed the sapphire necklace on Peruth’s chest, the cool metal sliding into the open collar and resting against his collarbone.
Peruth’s expression shifted slightly as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Mo let go of him, his expression returning to its usual coldness. “Why did you give this to me?”
Peruth understood his meaning. Since Yu Mo had already discovered it, there was no need for him to conceal anything deliberately.
“Occasionally, I can see the future, but only briefly.”
He had caught a fleeting glimpse of the future when he decided to go to the divine kingdom to stop the Pope.
But what he saw wasn’t himself; it was Eloren, who had fallen into the space between life and death.
In that realm, Eloren was submerged in darkness, and the ominous shadow surrounding him made it impossible for Peruth not to care.
“…So I sealed the power of the moon here, for you.”
The moon’s power could guide the direction of life in the space between life and death, hoping to help him escape safely.
As for himself, he had faced too many dangers and brushes with death. Even when confronting the Pope, he felt uncertain, and in comparison, he chose to leave the moon’s power to Yu Mo.
Yu Mo responded with silence.
“I thought it wouldn’t be easy for you to obtain the moon’s power. Are you really just going to leave it to me so easily?”
Seeing the confusion in Yu Mo’s eyes, Peruth felt a tickle in his throat that made him want to laugh and casually replied, “Well, it was a bit difficult, but not too bad.”
Even without having seen him a few times on Thorn Mountain, Yu Mo knew how false that statement was.
“That’s why I said you’re truly beyond my understanding.”
When he first met Peruth, he had thought he was someone obsessed with power.
In the story about the protagonist, this villain only revealed a strong and self-assertive side.
But the Peruth he had come to know had completely overturned that initial impression.
He was a person both complex and simple.
