This Villain Ch.192

Chapter 192: Let’s finish this life first

In the annals of Glory Empire, the first queen, Charli, would go down in history.

In time, people would call her the Great Emperor of Light and the Goddess of Hope who changed the world.

She was an ambitious yet compassionate ruler, living over a hundred years—the longest-lived monarch in the Empire’s history.

It was said that in her youth, she had been the adopted daughter of a baron and later a student of the High Priest.

In the first part of her life, she was an exceptional light magician, but in the latter half, she dedicated herself to eradicating the influence of magic, gradually driving it out of everyday life.

Under her guidance, the nation entered a new era.

Although she had several lovers throughout her life, she never married.

The person the queen trusted and cherished most was her brother, Grand Duke Cecil.

At the dawn of her reign, the world fell into seven days of darkness, with only the shifting moon in the sky.

Seven days later, the moon descended beneath the earth, and the sun rose.

The sun shone for seven more days, melting the cold ice of the northern lands.

People cried out in panic that the world was about to be destroyed, not realizing it was actually being reborn.

After the alternation of day and night, no more corrupt forces emerged from the earth, and the plague was suppressed.

This chronic illness, which required a lengthy cure, began to heal during those fourteen days and nights of mysterious change.

Later generations called those fourteen days the “Days of Rebirth.”

*

Yu Mo woke up one year after the “Days of Rebirth.”

He lay in a room in Magburg, his fingers pressing down on another person’s platinum-blonde hair.

He moved his fingers slightly, brushing the silky hair. That person opened his eyes and greeted him casually, saying, “Good morning.”

They had awakened on the same day. As one opened his eyes, the other woke up too. They had both emerged from the same dream.

Over the past year, nothing too challenging had happened in Borotosh. Amos had done well, and Charli even better.

One of them had kept the peace in Borotosh and most of the North, guiding development according to his plans.

The other had secured her throne, quelled several conflicts, and expanded the empire’s territory.

She absorbed several small neighboring countries severely weakened by the plague into the empire’s lands.

The return of Magburg’s master did not cause a great stir.

He did not wish to be a glorious savior. After coming back from the brink of life and death, he preferred sitting in the gentle breeze of a garden, sharing a warm meal with the cardinal.

In loose pajamas, the cardinal seemed to shine brilliantly under the sunlight.

This sight reminded Yu Mo of those fourteen days.

During those fourteen days, they had lingered in a Divine Kingdom that threatened to collapse at any moment, gazing at each other across a sharp boundary of light and shadow.

He was frozen in a darkness as cold as ice, while Peruth was burned by light from head to toe.

The fourteen days had stretched long, feeling like fourteen years.

“Eloren, what are you thinking about?”

The person across from him lifted his gaze, and his amber eyes took on an even more golden hue.

In Yu Mo’s eyes, there was the reflection of the moon. Sitting in the shade of the trees, he said, “In the coming decades, magic will gradually fade from this land. You’ll also slowly lose your powers. Are you afraid?”

Peruth let out a soft, questioning hum, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile. “But we have a soul pact.”

Yu Mo: “…”

No matter what he said, Peruth would always bring up that pact, so Yu Mo closed his mouth.

In the end, they changed the course of this world’s development.

The gods fell, the Divine Kingdom completely collapsed, the last remnants of magic returned to the earth, and magic began to recede.

This world would go in a different direction, perhaps one like his own world—toward a path of technological progress?

But that was all in the future.

“Teacher, a letter from the royal capital.”

Amos, with his black hair, had matured considerably after so much training. He walked confidently across the sunlit grass, presenting a handwritten letter from the queen.

Charli, elated and nearly incoherent upon hearing of his awakening, had requested him to come to the capital to see her.

“The queen wishes to publicly announce you as the Duke of the North.”

“I should go and see her,” Yu Mo agreed.

…

He set off for the capital with his knights and his inseparable companion, the cardinal.

They traveled by night, accompanied all the way by bright moonlight.

Queen Charli met her brother that same night.

Dressed in black, his eyes reflecting the changing moonlight, he looked as mysterious and profound as the darkest night.

“I heard from Amos that Brother can’t be exposed to sunlight now. Has that old illness flared up again? If the sunlight touches you, does your skin turn red?”

His sister, wearing the queen’s crown, quickly ran over. She looked just the same as before, only her clothes were more lavish.

“No, it’s just a minor aftereffect. It will gradually go away,” Yu Mo replied.

He and Peruth had once borne the powers of the sun and the moon, and a bit of that power still lingered within them. Because of this, he now preferred the night over the sunlight.

Conversely, Peruth was more accustomed to bright sunlight, so when they were together under the sun, Yu Mo would sit in the shade.

It didn’t have a major impact—just a small inconvenience.

“Brother, did you do something very dangerous?” Charli asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s all been taken care of.”

The increasingly dignified queen’s eyes reddened. No one knew the torment she had endured over the past year.

When news of her brother’s coma reached her, she had longed to visit him but firmly reminded herself of her duties. She didn’t want to disappoint him.

“Brother, I tried to do everything you asked of me.”

“I’ve seen it. You’ve done very well, Charli.”

Hearing his calm words, Charli couldn’t hold back her tears.

She remembered that night when she was sixteen, when her drunken foster father entered her room, and how her changed brother had handed her a candle and a silver knife, guiding her to witness the Moon Goddess’s ritual.

That seemed to be the turning point of her life.

“Brother, wuu!” Charli couldn’t resist throwing herself into her brother’s arms.

She held onto his collar and sleeves, and then her crying suddenly stopped in surprise as she glanced over at Cardinal Peruth standing nearby.

Her beautiful violet eyes were full of shock—why hadn’t Cardinal Peruth stopped her?

But she quickly realized the rare chance this was and hugged her brother’s waist tightly.

…

At a grand banquet, Yu Mo was named the Grand Duke Cecil. With a generous wave of the queen’s hand, the entire northern lands became his territory.

Before returning to the North, Yu Mo had a private conversation with Charli.

“Charli, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

“What is it? Brother, just say it!”

“I hope you can make Makin the queen consort.”

“…?”

Charli’s eyes widened in surprise, and after realizing what he meant, she shook her head repeatedly. “No, no! How could this be?”

Yu Mo hadn’t expected this reaction; he thought this last step would be the easiest. “Why not? You’ve spent a lot of time together, gone through hardships side by side, I thought you would like him.”

“I trust Brother Makin, but I don’t like him.”

During the years that Charli stayed in the royal capital as a princess, Yu Mo had specifically left Makin to accompany her. Later, when the plague broke out, Makin remained by her side, always with her.

Though, as a brother, Yu Mo didn’t like the golden-haired Makin, it was his duty, so he didn’t interfere with their relationship.

Now Charli was saying that she didn’t like the man destined to be her husband. What was going on?

Yu Mo heard a sob, coming from the usually quiet system.

The system’s voice was faint: [I knew it would turn out like this.]

“Brother, I only see Makin as a brother. After a while, I plan to find him a noblewoman to marry. It’s impossible between us.”

Charli’s eyelashes trembled nervously, her voice soft. “I’m sorry, brother. Everything else is fine, but not this.”

Yu Mo: “…”

He asked the system in his mind: “The task of making Charli and Makin the ruler of the Empire is at least halfway done. Is that good enough?”

The system responded with a tone of resentment: [Mr. Yu Mo, you’ve already bent the rules by turning the original queen into a female emperor. The main system won’t approve of this now.]

[The system suggests Mr. Yu Mo try a bit harder and think about Mr. Yu Guang.]

Yu Mo fell silent, recalling his elder brother’s teachings.

“I’ve already tried. Big Brother should understand,” Yu Mo finally said.

The system was startled: [Is Mr. Yu Mo giving up now? You’re so close!]

His elder brother had once told him to respect family members’ choices, not to be an oppressive, feudal parent. He had also promised that as an older brother, he would help his younger sibling overcome difficulties.

Charli, unable to hear her brother’s response, anxiously fiddled with her fingers, waiting.

Why had her brother suddenly made such a strange request?

After a long silence, she finally heard him say, “Then forget it. As long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”

Charli looked up, her heart easing. She saw her brother standing up and saying, “Be a good queen, Charli.”

“I will, brother!” She smiled again.

The task had failed, but at least there was still a bright future for this world.

Yu Mo no longer paid attention to his sister’s romantic life. She had kept her promise to him, focusing on being a good queen, determined to make all the territories of the empire into a new Borotosh.

They saw each other once a year in the royal capital, but for the rest of the time, Yu Mo was in Borotosh or in Tusihe.

The summers in Tusihe were beautiful. Yu Mo rode horses with Peruth, strolling by the mountains and lakes.

The sky and trees were vivid with bright blue and green.

A thick white cloud drifted across, casting a shadow over the two figures on the grass.

“I heard little Charli has a new lover.”

“How do you know more than I do?”

“My dear Eloren, of course I’m just keeping an eye on your sister, and on your student too.”

“What does that have to do with Amos?”

“Of course it does! Little Charli’s last secret lover was Amos.”

Yu Mo was genuinely surprised: “How did I not notice this?”

Peruth smirked. “Because Eloren’s eyes are always on me, and you can’t see anyone else.”

Yu Mo pinched his chin and shook it slightly.

Peruth: “Alright, I’ll admit it. Last time we went to the royal capital, I accidentally ran into them on a date.”

Yu Mo paused for a moment, thinking. “So that’s why you disappeared in the middle of the night—to sneak a peek at the kids on their date?”

“It was an accident,” Peruth said, pulling Yu Mo’s hand away. “Unfortunately, it seems they’ve broken up now.”

He sighed dramatically. “It’s rare to find a couple like us, who have been in love and stayed together all this time.”

But his act didn’t last. His smile grew wider, revealing a genuine happiness. “Eloren, no matter which world we’re in, we’ll always be together.”

Yu Mo had long recognized that this person couldn’t be indulged; he would only get more demanding.

Turning his face, Yu Mo spoke in a calm tone, “Greedy Cardinal, let’s just focus on finishing this life first.”

Don’t even think about other worlds for now.

Peruth laughed, pulling him toward the shadow of the drifting cloud.

<< _ >>

**TN

THE END. There is still an extra chap, the modern world. And then, the last arc, the Yu Family’s Eldest Brother, Yu Guang. 🙂