Azure Scepter

Page 110

Trier's expression was unusually serious, his eyes cold and sharp, like ice blades piercing the heart.

“I will not massacre the city, absolutely not.” Edith’s voice trembled as she looked intently into the other’s dark eyes. “I would rather fight to the death with the transformed undead than massacre the city. Trier, your prophecy may not be accurate.”

Trier didn't refute, or even speak; he just grinned and laughed silently.

Edith pursed her lips; she knew her guess was right, that Trier was talking about her future self.

—He chose to massacre the city in the future.

The pain burned through her mind like a raging fire, and she couldn't help but feel nauseous.

At that moment, she suddenly felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, and sharp nails were slowly slicing across her heart. Pain mixed with a tingling itch surged through her veins to her limbs and bones.

Edith opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a silent sob came out.

The next moment, Trier spoke again. Edith thought he would laugh at her, but Trier's words were completely beyond her expectations.

PS: First update

Chapter 221 Torture (Part 4)

“It’s just a story,” Trier said. “You’re overthinking it.”

“This is a prophecy.” Edith laughed bitterly. “I chose to massacre the city in the future, didn’t I?”

"Are you Arthas?" Trier lowered his eyelids and did not answer directly.

Before Edith could answer, he continued, "Let's get back to the story itself—want to know Arthas's choice?"

Edith nodded blankly, and for some reason felt a lump in her throat.

“Arthas massacred the city.” Trier’s voice was cold and hard, his tone completely flat. “He saved the kingdom, but he himself fell into an abyss of paranoia and suspicion. In short, he went mad, and the mentally broken prince fell into the conspiracy of the mastermind behind the scenes, eventually becoming the mastermind’s puppet.”

"Is he insane?" Edith repeated incredulously.

This seems like an expected and reasonable ending, after all, it was... a massacre of a city.

But what exactly does Trier's story imply? If one is Arthas, then who is the mastermind behind it all?

"Why do you think Arthas went mad?" Trier asked softly.

Edith glanced at the other person timidly.

At that moment, Trier was staring straight into her eyes, his dark pupils as cold as a scalpel, as if he wanted to dissect her eyeballs, delve into her brain, and see through all her thoughts.

The princess felt a pang of anxiety—if she didn't answer well, Trier would be extremely disappointed, and he might leave her then...

Recalling the slanderous remarks made against him by the citizens that morning, Edith felt a deep sense of fear.

Although Trier looks very unfamiliar now, she really, really doesn't want to lose her few friends.

After a long silence, she answered softly, "He couldn't bear the pangs of his conscience; that was a massacre of an entire city... slaughtering his own people..."

Before she could finish speaking, Trier sneered.

“The pangs of conscience are just a trigger,” Trier said coldly. “Ultimately, the breakdown is just a matter of mental weakness. In my opinion, since the right decision has been made, there is absolutely no need to feel uneasy.”

"Are you mentally strong, Edith?" he said, then lowered his head and looked at Edith coldly.

Edith avoided eye contact, turning her face away and refusing to meet Trier's gaze.

“Why are you telling this story?” she asked. “Terre, I really… I really don’t understand.”

Trier moved closer to the princess's face, his expression cold and stern.

“Because you face the same predicament as Arthas—the mastermind behind the Blood Plague crisis is your ancestor Lor'thewi, who wants to destroy your spirit, possess your body, and thus use you to regain control of the country,” he said softly.

Edith was completely stunned.

—She grew up listening to Rossevie's heroic tales.

She had always admired her ancestor, Laurence, for her righteousness, kindness, wisdom, and justice. Laurence was, in essence, her idol, and her greatest wish was to become a monarch like Laurence, fulfilling her duties and protecting her people.

Although the accusation seemed absurd, subconsciously Edith found it strangely believable.

“Now, answer me, is your spirit strong?” Trier asked a second time, leaning even closer.

The princess instinctively shrank back, but Trier pressed her shoulders firmly, forcing her to look up at him.

"Losevier is long dead!"

Edith squeezed out the words through gritted teeth. At that moment, her mind was a complete blank, and she had no idea what she was saying. She was just refuting based on instinct.

“Trier, all my relatives tell me I should learn from Laurence Rosé…”

“Is your spirit strong?” Trier’s hands gripped Edith tightly like iron clamps. “Answer me.”

The princess stubbornly raised her head, trying to widen her eyes, but her long eyelashes still trembled slightly, and bright tears burst forth like a flood, mingling with the white frost and rolling down her cheeks.

This was the third time she had cried today. Since she came of age, she had never been so emotionally vulnerable. She knew that she was behaving like a little girl who had been bullied, not like a crown princess.

Edith felt a pang of hatred for her own weakness. She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her tears, but even as her teeth chattered, the warm tears continued to flow.

Countless painful memories of the past surged into my mind, overlapping and turning into layers of illusory images.

At that moment, she felt as if she had returned to Winterclaw, where she had lived for many years in her childhood, covered in snow and with a biting wind—where her best childhood friend, Lorena, had died.

Her father said that Lorena was rude and disrespectful, so in front of her, he used a scepter inlaid with jewels and fine gold to smash Lorena into a pulp.

Brain matter and bone fragments were scattered across the red carpet, shattered eyeballs and splattered flesh onto the family banner. The dull, bloody thuds of hammering mingled with her father's laughter echoed through the throne room, and she was powerless to do anything but watch in despair as her closest friend met her demise...

In a daze, she seemed to reappear in the Tower of Stars, pleading with her teacher to lift the blockade and let the refugees fend for themselves. But her teacher merely shook his head dismissively, and she herself abandoned her own proposal...

Countless memories flooded her mind, a sharp, agonizing pain shooting through the crevices of her cerebral cortex. Edith trembled slightly, and the bizarre, fantastical visions ultimately coalesced into the curses and slander of the people from the outer city...

If it weren't for those silly storybooks, I probably would have gone crazy long ago.

Her breathing became rapid, the tinnitus gradually faded into the distance, and amidst the muffled thumping of her heart, the accusations of others followed her like a shadow. At this moment, she suddenly felt boundless fear. She felt that she had crossed the edge of reason and stepped into a deep and dark abyss of madness.

I am a useless piece of trash, without any opinions of my own, just a pathetic puppet and toy.

“Edith!” Trier’s voice boomed like thunder in her ears, jolting her back to her senses. “Answer me, is your mind strong?”

“I…I’m weak, I…I’m sorry,” she apologized in an almost whispered voice. “I’m sorry, Trier.”

“You’re wrong,” Trier said coldly. “Your spirit is strong—a strong mind comes from self-awareness. Your ability to recognize your own vulnerability is precisely what makes you strong.”

Edith recoiled in pain, but at that moment, Trier's strength was extraordinary, and she couldn't move at all!

P.S.: Sigh, I overestimated my production capacity. I'll see if I can manage three updates tomorrow...

Chapter 222 Torture (Part 5)

Although Edith possessed great strength, she was unable to exert much of it at this moment due to severe mental confusion.

“A strong will comes from self-awareness,” Trier repeated coldly. “Tell me, who do you think you are?”

Edith's mind became hazy again. Fear and cowardice gripped her mind like the withered claws of a ghoul. Trier's words pierced her eardrums and drilled into her brain like steel needles, causing every crevic of her brain to groan in pain.

The painful memories of the past, the omnipresent sense of oppression, and Trier's words, like the undercurrents surging in the dark abyss of the trench, silently invaded her soul, constantly squeezing her already dwindling willpower, compressing her already weakened will to the breaking point.

She couldn't take it anymore and struggled to break free from Trier's grip.

"I am Edith Lorinman, I am the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Orko, I am a Holy Knight!"

Edith didn't know what she was saying; perhaps it was muttering to herself, perhaps a scream, perhaps a calm tone, or perhaps she didn't even open her mouth...

She felt her thoughts were fragmented, as if she had entered a blackout state after getting drunk. Questions about herself were like hot irons piercing her nerve connections, and the more she thought about it, the more painful it became.

"These are all external identities, Edith. Your pain and weakness are created by others! Let go of them, and you will know who you are! Tell me, who are you?" Trier's ruthless and indifferent voice rang in my ears again.

Edith shuddered violently, as if a drowning person had briefly surfaced, her fragmented thoughts regrouping for a moment.

Self-awareness... Setting aside my identity as a crown prince, setting aside my identity as a paladin, who am I really?

I am Edith, but Edith is just a name. What lies behind the name?

Perhaps this is a theological question?

"I...I don't know..." she said blankly, "I really don't know!"

"What is your wish?" Trier continued his interrogation. "Where do you intend to go?"

Edith replied reflexively, "Fulfilling my duty, protecting the kingdom..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly realized that her answer was less a heartfelt wish and more a sense of responsibility instilled from the outside.

She couldn't help but think of the various inspirations that often appeared out of nowhere—those flashes of brilliance in battle, those sharp and witty remarks in diplomacy—as if another person was thinking for her, and she was merely a puppet of those inspirations.

Edith blinked.

Yes, what exactly is my wish?

“These are not wishes.” Trier’s voice suddenly softened as he gently took Edith’s left hand in his. “Edith, what do you truly want?”

The icy wind whistled past her ears, the cold stinging Edith's face like needles. At that moment, Trier's warm hands warmed her frozen spirit like a campfire in the snow.

The princess's first thought was of the wet, erotic dream she had that morning, but she subconsciously felt it was too licentious and absurd, so she said insincerely, "I love looking at the stars in the sky, I... I want to climb onto real stars myself."

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

She didn't know why she said that, nor did she believe it was her true wish—perhaps, she didn't even know what she really wanted.

Edith expected Trier to burst into laughter, but the other man remained silent.

She glanced up discreetly and then noticed that Trier's gentle, dark eyes were full of seriousness.

“Have you heard of the legendary spell Starfall?” Trier asked in a rather serious tone.

"..."

The princess was stunned. Trier was actually starting to consider the feasibility of her offhand ramblings?!

"I'm sorry... I... actually I..."

She tried to explain incoherently, but Trier waved her hand dismissively.

“I believe this wish comes from your heart, and I will find a way to help you realize it,” Trier said softly. “Edith, you must also believe in yourself—stop apologizing all the time.”

Trier's gentle words struck Edith's head like a meteor hammer. She felt a lump in her throat, and then she could no longer hold back the hot tears welling up in her eyes. Her body went limp, and she buried her face in Trier's arms, then cried loudly.

The time traveler didn't speak. He gently took the princess's trembling shoulder and lightly brushed his fingers through her messy hair, which was covered in ice crystals.

“Believe in yourself, Edith,” he said softly. “From this moment on, you are a new person. The past is past, and every step of the future will be better.”

Edith cried even harder.

When Pegasus landed back on the ground, the rain had completely stopped, and the Milky Way in the sky was dazzling and brilliant.

Pegasus landed quietly in a forest full of withered yellow leaves. She turned her head and glanced quietly at Trier and Edith by the starlight.

Edith was asleep, her fair cheeks slightly flushed, and a few glistening teardrops still clung to her trembling eyelashes. With each soft breath, the corners of her mouth turned up gently, as if she were having a sweet dream.

Trier remained motionless like a statue, his face calm, his head held high, gazing at the stars in the sky.

“I apologize to you, Trier,” Nina suddenly spoke, speaking in the language of the Celestials. “You know, when you started telling that horrific story of the massacre, I thought you were some kind of villain with ulterior motives.”

“You could have taken advantage of Edith’s vulnerability and naivety, but you didn’t; you could have gone along with her and gained her trust, but you didn’t; although you were outwardly torturing her with the iron of morality, in reality you were genuinely helping her—by the light above, you are a truly admirable good person.”

Trier turned his head and glanced at Nina's horse-like face.

Nina blinked innocently, as if she couldn't speak.

“This is inefficient, this is weak, and this carries unnecessary risks,” Trier said, also blaming himself in the language of the Celestials. “I see absolutely no reason to do this.”

Pegasus was taken aback and snorted loudly.

How do you know this language?

Trier remained silent.

“Has anyone ever said that you’re a lot like that little fairy named Fytia?” Nina flicked her tail. “What’s that word again? Oh, right, stubborn but soft-hearted—speaking of which, I never expected you to know that Edith’s real enemy is Losevie.”

Trier glanced at Pegasus in silence.

—This horse knows quite a lot.

Only Edith was unaware of her own fate.

“Here’s a friendly reminder,” Nina continued, “Be careful of the deities within the Radiant Pantheon; they might not necessarily be on your and Edith’s side.”

PS: Chapter 1.

Chapter 223 The Medium (Part 1)

“Thank you for reminding me.” Trier nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, a rustling sound came from beside him. The time traveler lowered his head slightly and met Edith's sleepy eyes.