The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Page 121

The conflict originating from the dome of the underworld ultimately extended its evil claws to this harmless little hedgehog.

A rainbow-colored meteor streaked across the ground, leaving an ugly scar on the ground beside Mr. Hearn that was instantly swallowed by the overflowing lava. Then, a tiny angel fiercely rose from the lava sea, which was enough to annihilate most mortal creatures, its face filled with disillusioning rage and truly ill-mannered bad temper.

Good heavens, it's hard to imagine how much freedom and unbridled growth she experienced during her childhood, given that she looks like a primate cub at most nine years old, is spouting vulgarities like "Give me your skull, I want to put it on my bedside table as a decoration."

As her guardian for a brief week in the past, Shinju always felt that she had failed in her duty.

No wonder Iota spoke of her bratty little sister with such an attitude of "I wish that little brat would get a beating."

Just as Mr. Hearn was pondering and pretending nothing had happened, a tiny angel fluttered its wings and floated down from the end of the fissure in the ground. It landed on his side in a huff, remained silent for a while, and then, as if it had made up its mind, mustered its courage and bit his ear.

"Aww."

"..."

Caught off guard and struck hard, Mr. Hearn felt his right hand, which was tucked in his pocket, tremble slightly—he was almost unable to resist the urge to grab the little bean and give him a good spanking.

"Don't always look so gloomy, honey. The book says that if a girl bites a man's face, he'll definitely be happy. Okay, I just bit him. Do you feel any happier now?"

The little angel released her mouth, floated lightly to the side, and stared at him with eyes full of expectation for a response.

The believer was silent for a moment, then felt relieved, and a slight smile appeared on her face, which seemed to be both self-deprecating and affirmative.

"Yes, thank you, Xiao Ji. I feel much better now."

"Then I'll go back to dealing with that thieving cat. Don't underestimate me; after you disappeared, I've become capable of handling things on my own."

"...Is it possible that I actually hope you can get along harmoniously...?"

"Watch me! I'm going to rip that reptilian bitch's head off and make it into a dessert cup!"

"..."

Before the believer could finish speaking, the little angel had already flown away to rejoin the battlefield.

The believer trailed off, her lips twitching as she pondered how she could find an opportunity to hang up and beat all those lunatics who were corrupting the children.

An innocent girl who didn't even know what "kissing" was, yet she already held the power of life and death over all living beings in the outside world, and even ranked second among the seven seats of the Heavenly Kingdom. With immense power and a distinguished background, no one dared to question whether she was qualified to sit in that position, simply because she had already turned all her competitors into withered bones when she was still young.

He, who had not yet ascended to immortality, once despised that power without will, but now he only laments his past insignificance and ignorance.

If Aoko Kazushiki gave him a deep attachment to human warmth and showed him the beauty of the world.

Then Iota undoubtedly set an example for him, proving that the treasures you cherish are wonderful, but they don't work on the outside and aren't worth much money or soul.

This is one of the reasons why he has not yet opened the door that separates the "past" from the "present".

Even if they wear similar beautiful exteriors, their inner values ​​are always completely different.

Those inside the door are undoubtedly human, while those outside are naturally demons. This is an indisputable fact when viewed from the perspective of human intelligence.

Monkeys imitate human actions, and mortals imitate divine miracles; what each sees is merely a reflection of their own wishful thinking.

Just as she was pondering, another shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving another ugly scar on the ground on the other side of the believer's body. At the end of the scar, Chloe, her upper body covered with crimson-gold magic patterns, strolled out from the lava.

It seems that after the halftime break, Xiao Ji had the upper hand for a while.

The believer gazed upon Chloe's true appearance here and couldn't help but smile.

No matter how you look at it, she is like a reflection of Charlotte in a mirror. Apart from the fact that the color and features of the magic runes are more inclined to dragons rather than demons or angels, Chloe in front of you is like Charlotte who has grown up overnight, skipping the age of sixteen or seventeen and directly stepping into the first half of her twenties. The naivety and shyness that a girl should have lost in her expression have been replaced by the composure and calmness that comes with experience.

This has always been the impression Chloe left on the believer: down-to-earth, calm, experienced, reliable, indifferent, and cold-hearted...

She abandons the ethereal dreaminess, replacing it with a refined reality. Her occasional jokes are very endearing, yet they always manage to make you stop laughing mid-joke. This girl possesses an undeniable weightiness stemming from her experiences or history, as well as a subtle sense of incompleteness.

The believer gazed at the mechanical girl who stood silently before him, with dark red dragon horns and wings that resembled both a demon and a dragon. His gaze swept over her limbs and tail, which were covered in metallic scales and possessed a ferocious yet mechanical beauty, before finally returning to that familiar face, where she silently met his gaze with those crimson-gold vertical pupils that were exactly the same as his.

In a daze, he seemed to see himself, the past self struggling through thorns, striving with all his might towards the finish line with a self-destructive consciousness, just to achieve something, just to prove something, just to save someone.

At this moment, he finally understood why he had hesitated for so long before choosing to open the study door, welcome the frozen snake into the house, let her play in his back garden, and even let her make that vow in front of him.

It turned out that the snake struggling alone in the icy abyss looked so much like him, even the notch was exactly the same.

When Kaguya Houraisan first met him, she succinctly referred to him as the Serpent Who Left His Homeland, meaning that even though he was born on earth, the venomous black blood of the moon flowed in his veins, and he could not be considered a good person.

Fortunately, back then he only distinguished between good and bad, not between good and evil; now he only considers his stance.

A self-centered dragon like him will ultimately only pity its own shadow.

Have pity on another serpent, another monster, another evil dragon.

With this thought in mind, the believer felt all the gloom in her heart dissipate, the clouds parted and the sun shone through, and she suddenly felt enlightened.

He no longer clung to the question of how to deal with Little Red Riding Hood, who resembled Cinderella in appearance but had a completely opposite personality.

Even if she and Charlotte were like reflections in a mirror, even if he regarded Charlotte as his student and junior, even if she, like him, spoke only in jest and knew nothing of the truth, even if she still held back some things about him.

He decided to face the machine girl who appeared in his world with his own outward appearance, rather than with the boyish appearance he had when facing Aoko and Shiki.

"It's halftime now, charming Miss Snake, would you do me the honor of having a drink with me?"

The believer casually froze time in this world, and even the little angels in the underground starry sky were frozen in place.

The master of the Time Realm effortlessly created a bar counter from the Sea of ​​Time that he was all too familiar with in the Queen of Pleasure's shop. He then skillfully tossed aside his old, shrewish black robe, casually rolled up the cuffs of his white shirt to reveal his fair wrists and arms, and his entire style transformed from unrestrained and unconventional to dashing, witty, and capable.

"Besides playing the piano, you've also worked as a bartender?"

Chloe, who was standing with her arms crossed on the opposite side of the bar, raised an eyebrow at the sight, the sound of scales rubbing against each other echoing between her crossed arms.

"In fact, I am a pianist and bartender. The income from one job is meager, so I had to ask the landlady for two jobs. After all, the rented apartment is quite expensive. Everyone has their down times, and I am no exception."

The believer recalled the past with a touch of sadness, and then winked at Chloe.

"Hmph, do you think you can fool me with your tragic past like you did with that whiny little girl in the sky?"

"Oh? So you naively think you've finally remembered what I am to you? If that's the case, why not be honest about your assumptions as well? Don't worry, if the answer is wrong, I'll laugh at you to my heart's content."

"Ex-wife".

"..."

"...Put your face over here, switch sides, immediately, right now, and your neck too."

"Oh dear, Miss Snake, Miss Chloe, please don't get agitated or look so upset. I was just joking. Besides, now's not the time. Little Ji is watching. How about I take a bath in the bedroom tonight and wait for you? By the way, you haven't ordered any wine yet."

"……up to you."

"What an arrogant and willful customer. But every sleepless night, there will always be one or two disheartened people who will hand over the choice to the bartender. So, I'm quite experienced in dealing with this."

"Hmph, then I'd like to see what you can make for me. If you can't satisfy me, you'll have to stick your face and neck out here."

"Please wait a moment."

……

A moment later, Chloe picked up a glass of dark blue liquor with a gradient of colors and distinct layers from the bar. She examined it for a moment, her gaze shifting between the confident-looking Shinjo standing with her arms crossed and the glass. In the end, she silently drank the cocktail in her glass.

"..."

"Are you satisfied?"

"...It's too sweet, and there's no alcohol at all. You lied to me; this isn't alcohol at all."

"You've misunderstood. Although non-alcoholic cocktails are a niche category, they are still a type of cocktail, and they do have names. I'm not just making this up out of thin air. Besides, you seem to like them quite a bit, don't you?"

"Actually, I'm a fan of black tea with salt."

"Hmm, I understand, sweet salt, right?"

"Stop making trouble here. Since you've already said it, what's her name?"

"Cinderella".

"..."

"A unique taste, a beautiful meaning, a pleasantly tipsy experience for all ages. The recipe is: lemon juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, pomegranate juice, brown sugar, and soda water. Oh, and a little bit of love."

The believer released her arm and cheerfully reached out to Chloe, who was silent on the other side of the bar, to give her a tap.

His right wrist was not yet fully healed, and the dark blue bloodstains were still wet—the origin of Cinderella's dark blue hue.

In contrast, Chloe, who drank the blood wine, had eyes that shone like torches and glowed with a blood-red light.

"No matter who we were or what our relationship was before, if we are willing to move forward, let's get to know each other again."

"...Who wants to be with you—"

"Shh~, Chloe, let me tell you a little secret—I'll forget to lock the windows before midnight tonight~."

"..."

……

Chapter 179 Dead End (Part 1)

"You're not going to lock the windows before midnight, huh? Fine."

Chloe stood at the bar with her arms crossed, lost in thought for a moment. Her gaze briefly drifted to the molting little bitch frozen in mid-air, its claws outstretched in a single, menacing moment. When her eyes finally returned to Mr. Hearn, who was radiating his excessive charm behind the bar, she symbolically tossed a strand of hair behind her ear and then spoke with a smile, "You won't mind if I climb in through the window looking like this, will you?"

As the words were spoken, the solemn and dignified dragon girl in front of the bar was gone, replaced by a little dragon with dangling little feet, who was no less charming than the little molting bitch in the sky.

That was a more innocent look than when the two first met as the thief. The young dragon girl retained the ferocious mechanical features of the dragon transformation while also displaying the flawless and pure beauty of a child, except for those golden vertical pupils that revealed a playful light that, no matter how you looked at it, seemed to have no good intentions.

Mr. Hern, who had just been posing at the bar, suddenly felt his legs go weak upon seeing this, and a gunshot rang out in his ear. He then knelt down on the chair behind the bar with a thud, looking at the petite dragon girl in front of him with a mournful face.

"I was wrong, Grandma, please don't do this to me. I've never liked this kind of food since I was a child."

"It seems quite convincing that you call every blonde woman you see 'Mom,' but who knows if you actually like to call a blonde girl who's only half your waist tall your mom? After all, look at that pink-haired little bitch in the sky who keeps calling you 'darling' so affectionately and even comes over to bite your ear—that's living proof."

Chloe casually pointed to Jibril in the sky.

"..."

Mr. Hearn was silent for a moment, during which his vision went black and his blood pressure spiked.

After he calmed down, he explained.

"All I can say is that when this child calls me 'darling,' it doesn't mean what you think it means in the conventional sense between men and women."

"Oh?"

"If I had to describe it, it would probably be like a little sister who has fallen on hard times and has no relatives to rely on, and one day she meets an older brother who suddenly appears out of nowhere and helps her out. This child knows almost nothing about things other than fighting and killing. He is a real little kid whose mind and body haven't developed yet."

"Then the charming older brother who descended from the sky, after solving all the troubles for the little sister who had no relatives and whose family had fallen on hard times, disappeared without a word, leaving not even a trace. So much so that the little sister later embarked on a journey to find him. You really know the way well, Mr. Hern, the faith-woman who can disappear with a gust of wind."

Chloe, sitting at the bar, gradually turned her gaze toward disdain.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet. In short, this girl really hasn't grown up. You saw it just now. She doesn't even understand what it means for a girl to kiss a man's face. She only knows that it makes a man feel better, so without saying a word, she kissed my ear... Ouch, it still hurts a little."

The believer explained with a wry smile.

"So, this girl is another result of your overflowing sympathy?"

"It wasn't entirely out of sympathy. Publicly, this child inherited one-seventh of the power and assets of the Heavenly Kingdom. If I hadn't helped her back then, she would have been devoured by the remaining dozen or so uncles and aunts of her mother's generation, including me. Privately, Xiao Ji is the younger sister of a girl with whom I have a deep friendship, to the point that I owe her a debt of gratitude that is difficult to repay. With such a bond of gratitude, no matter what, half a year ago, I would have done my best to keep her safe and help her smoothly inherit the seat and legacy of the first Gabriel."

"I understand, this ill-mannered little bitch is your sister-in-law."

"..."

"What? Stop talking?"

"Chloe, are you a worm in my stomach? Why is it that every time I talk to you about these kinds of topics, you can ignore most of the fog and go straight to the point that hurts me the most?"

"You brought this on yourself, getting entangled with one burden after another, and you can't blame me for not giving you face? When you do one ridiculous thing after another, appearing out of nowhere in some little girl's world, leaving a little bit of care and a little bit of light, and then turning your back and disappearing with the wind, do you ever think about the day when someone will catch up with you and entangle you? Just like you successfully caught Tian Lanlan, you're not the only one in this world who will desperately chase after the azure stars."

"So you have to help me think of a way, Chloe. I'm in a dilemma now, just one step away from setting off. After Salome set off, I'm thinking of setting off too, sob sob..."

The believer became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, until finally, with tears welling up in her eyes, she grasped the dragon girl's little hand and shook it from side to side.

In contrast, Chloe, with considerable disdain and even impatience, allowed him to shake her mechanized dragon claws, her voice filled with sarcasm and mockery.

"A dilemma? I see you're enjoying it quite a bit, aren't you? Mr. Hern, being served by a group of noble Fire Children, being called 'darling' by your sister-in-law, oh, I forgot, isn't this the feeling you love most—being looked at with longing eyes by the juniors you once mentored? It's incredibly fulfilling, as if it's your most outstanding retaliation against those who criticized you for being unable to create any good value other than plunder and destruction, those opponents you've already buried with your own hands. Apart from the fact that being called 'darling' by a scantily clad, molting little bitch makes it hard for outsiders not to suspect you have a pedophilic tendency, everything is so wonderful."

"First of all, it is worth correcting that I have no moral pursuit or psychological need for the former. Secondly, as for the latter, I don't really care. After all, as long as Xiao Ji doesn't want to, even Qingzi, who has reached the Creation World in terms of spirit level, cannot correctly perceive her form of existence. At most, she can only see a messy mosaic or disordered rainbow light, nothing more."

"If that's the case, then why are you still asking me for help? Why not just happily travel around Thranheim with your sister-in-law who came to stay with you, and leave whenever you get tired of it, taking the pilots back to the stars to find your rose and your fox..."

“I won’t leave, because the snake is still here.”

"..."

"I'm begging you because you're the only one who believes me and believes that I'm in a dilemma."

Why don't you go find Tian Lanlan?

"Because she can't do it."

"Then why not go find Gabriel?"