svetikya Page 32
Page 32
Liu Jiu didn't look at her, but continued to wipe the gleaming blade with the coarse cloth, as if he were making a preordained weather forecast.
"The World Government will not allow the truth of the 'Void Century' to be revealed."
"Ohara, you have broken the taboo."
"Therefore, it must disappear."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Olvia's heart like a heavy hammer.
She stood frozen in place, like a clay or wooden sculpture, her mind completely blank.
So that's how it is...
She should have realized it sooner... she just didn't want to believe it...
From the very beginning, O'Hara and all the scholars had already been sentenced to death...
Then what's the point of her going back?
But...but...
Tears streamed down silently, a mixture of immense pain and powerless anger.
She looked at the eerily calm man before her. He had known all along! He had saved her, yet he had watched helplessly as her homeland and her companions marched toward destruction?
No...maybe he's right, going back won't help...
In the face of absolute power, the struggle of an individual is laughably insignificant.
Olvia forcefully wiped away her tears, her eyes burning with an unusual determination amidst the extreme pain.
“Even so…” Her voice was hoarse from sobbing, but it carried an undeniable determination, “I’m going back.”
She looked towards the door to the inner room, her eyes filled with endless longing and reluctance, as well as deep guilt.
"Robin... I'm counting on you."
She bowed deeply to Liu Jiu.
"Please...take good care of her."
This was her only and final request.
She would give her life to save her daughter's life.
Her return is a testament to the scholar's beliefs, a commitment to stand with O'Hara through thick and thin.
Liu Jiu stopped wiping.
He looked up at the woman in front of him, who was bent over and trembling slightly, and at her back, which was filled with despair and determination.
The light cast her long shadow onto the mottled wall.
He did not answer immediately.
In the room, only suppressed breathing and the cold light reflected from the blade remained.
The dim light cast varying shades of shadow on Olvia's pale yet resolute face.
Her eyes were still red-rimmed, tears still wet on them, but in those deep eyes that resembled Robin's, there was now only a resolute determination to burn everything away. It was a tragic heroism, knowing that there was an abyss ahead, yet still leaping into it. Her slender body trembled slightly from excitement and weakness, like a candle flickering in the wind, stubbornly burning its last light.
She remained bowed, waiting for Liu Jiu's response, or rather, for his promise to take care of Robin.
Footsteps sounded.
It was very light, yet carried an undeniable sense of oppression, clearly audible in the quiet room.
Liu Jiu stood up.
He didn't speak, but walked step by step toward Olvia.
Olvia could feel his approach; his tall shadow gradually enveloped her, carrying a chilling, oppressive aura. She instinctively tried to straighten up and back away, but her body seemed nailed to the spot, unable to move.
Liu Jiu stopped in front of her.
They were very close, close enough that Olvia could smell the faint scent emanating from him, a blend of sea breeze and metallic aroma.
Then, he raised a hand, reached over her shoulder, and with a soft "thump," braced it against the wall behind her.
His arms weren't particularly strong, yet they possessed immense power, trapping her in the narrow space between him and the wall.
An action imbued with a strong sense of aggression and control.
Olvia's heart skipped a beat, and her breath caught in her throat. She was forced to tilt her head back, meeting Liu Jiu's eyes, which were inches away from hers.
It remained calm and still, its depths unfathomable. But at this moment, in that tranquil depths, something extremely cold and sharp seemed to be slowly emerging, like an iceberg hidden beneath the surface of the sea.
His gaze, almost tangible, swept over her pale face, her reddened eyes, and her slightly trembling lips.
The air seemed to freeze, so thick it was suffocating.
Olvia could clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum, and the rush of blood to her head. Fear, shame, and a hint of indescribable panic intertwined, leaving her mind blank.
Liu Jiu leaned down slightly, closing the last bit of distance.
His voice was deep, carrying a cold, unquestionable tone, clearly reaching her ears; every word seemed to strike her heart.
"Are you really going to leave?"
Slow, clear, and heavy as a rock.
It was as if they were not asking a question, but issuing a verdict.
Olvia's pupils suddenly contracted, and her whole body went cold.
Looking into Liu Jiu's eyes, which seemed to devour all light, all her prepared, impassioned resolve to die crumbled at this moment, shaken by those simple four words and that forceful restraint.
She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't make a sound.
Do I really have to... leave?
Leaving... means never seeing Robin again.
It means entrusting her daughter completely to this mysterious, powerful, yet utterly unfathomable man.
It means... facing that inevitable destruction alone.
The indomitable courage I had just felt began to crumble little by little when I met those eyes.
Liu Jiu didn't urge her, but simply maintained this extremely imposing posture, quietly waiting for her answer.
The cold touch of the wall came through the thin clothes.
Before her was a man's burning breath and an irresistible scrutiny.
Despite his icy aura...
Behind him, his daughter slept peacefully in the inner room.
To stay, or to leave?
Life or death?
To protect one's beliefs, or to protect... one's bloodline?
The immense contradictions and turmoil nearly tore Olvia's soul apart.
Her body trembled even more violently, and tears welled up uncontrollably again, blurring her vision.
In the blurry shimmering water, she looked at Liu Jiu's expressionless face, which was so close to hers.
It seemed like a century had passed.
Finally, with immense difficulty, she managed to squeeze out a broken sound from her throat:
Chapter 33 The Reasons for Not Being Able to Leave
Olvia's voice broke, trembling with sobs, and she choked on her words, unable to form coherent sentences.
To stay or to leave? This choice felt like two mountains pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Just as her will wavered and she was on the verge of collapse—
A cool hand gently touched her cheek.
His movements were hardly gentle, even somewhat stiff, his fingertips, calloused from years of wielding a knife, rubbed against her delicate yet pale skin.
Olvia froze, as if struck by lightning, all the words she was about to say stuck in her throat. She stared incredulously at Liu Jiu, who was so close to her.
What...what is he doing?
Liu Jiu's fingers lingered on her cheek, making no further move, but instead, with his calm and unwavering gaze, he looked deeply into her eyes, which were filled with astonishment and confusion.
His voice was still deep, but it seemed to have lost some of its coldness and gained a hint of something more...complex.
“Actually,” he began, speaking slowly, each word clearly imprinted on Olvia’s heart, “I admire you, so… it’s impossible for me to let you leave so easily!”
Olvia was stunned. At this time? In this situation? He said…appreciation?
Liu Jiu's fingers twitched slightly, wiping away a tear that was about to fall from the corner of her eye.
"Your perseverance, your conviction, your determination to die for your comrades and your homeland..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over her slightly parted lips, which were trembling with shock.
“It’s dazzling.”
These three words, like a warm current, unexpectedly crashed into Olvia's frozen, despairing heart, stirring up a violent ripple.
In his eyes, was her disheveled, desperate, and struggling appearance... dazzling?
“But,” Liu Jiu’s tone suddenly changed, becoming cold and realistic again, “when a person dies, they have nothing left.”
His fingers left her cheek, then pressed back against the wall, his gaze fixed sharply on her.
“Belief, ideals, perseverance… and,” his gaze drifted almost imperceptibly toward the door to the inner room, “the people you care about.”
"When they die, they all turn to ashes."
Nothing can be left behind.
The stark, cruel reality.
Like a cold dagger, it cut through the cloak of tragic sentiments, revealing the bloody essence beneath.
Olvia's breathing suddenly became rapid.