No Hero V9C5: Having Feelings

No Hero Volume 9: Endless Days

Original novel in Chinese by: 御我(Yu Wo)

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The End NO.5: Having Feelings—translated by TaffyGirl13 (proofread by J Tao; C/E edited by lucathia)

Assessment: Highest priority master’s command and basic settings conflict. Shutting down and restarting.

Unidentified life form nearby. Status: Asleep. Not dangerous. Based on hair color and build, initial determination: Highest priority master… No! He’s, he’s….

Highest priority master is awake. Determining priority.

“Ah Ye?” Highest priority master’s tone determined to be uneasy. Amount of negative emotion: 70%.

“Master…”

Highest priority master’s negative emotions have instantly risen to over 90%. Determination: must ask status—No! There’s no need to ask at all! I called him by the wrong name! This isn’t some highest priority master. He… should be…

“Gēge.”

“Ah Ye! Is it really you, Ah Ye?”

Highest priority master’s emotions determined to be excited and joyous. Amount of positive emotion: 80%. Amount of negative emotion: Less than 50%. Response was correct.

“Ah Ye, Ah Ye, say it one more time.”

“Master Gēge.”

“One more time!”

“Gē…you’ve finally come.”

All of highest priority master’s data being loaded. Highest priority in command. Level of significance: 95%.

Not 100%, because there is always the unexpected. The system is set so that nothing can reach 100%. It doesn’t matter if it is only 95%, because no one will ever be more important than the highest priority master, than Gēge. This is enough.

“Sorry, I’m late. Ah Ye, from now on, you will never be hurt again. Gēge will protect you at all costs. No one will be able to harm you!”

“Mhm!”

I’m the same. Dark Sun will protect Gēge; Ah Ye will also protect Gēge. No one will be able to harm Gēge. Master Gēge will always be Ah Ye’s most important person!

He leapt and danced through the air. The Circle of Death that I had witnessed before was just a circle drawn by the Death Scythe. But now the sickle had wings, creating a storm of blades. If I got pulled into it, there was no doubt that I would be sliced into multiple pieces instantaneously.

If I die now and become a pile of remains without anyone knowing, the Church will be unable to hand me over, and Curtis will be unable to confirm my death. In that case, how much longer will this war continue?

How many more Elysees members will hand over their lives merely to take back a family head in name only?

“Young Master, I must not die. Even if you are the most important person to me, I still cannot give you my life. Because, even though you are my most important person for whom I could even sacrifice my life, there are ultimately still other things that I cannot abandon. Young Master, this is not simply a question of someone’s significance level. Do you understand?”

I was uncertain if it was my imagination, but the Circle of Death seemed to freeze for a moment. However, it then continued to plow forward. Everything it passed through was decimated, including the ground below, so there were holes everywhere. It was a very terrifying, destructive power. In order to prevent others from getting injured, I could only abandon helping my family members, retreating further and further away toward a place with less people. Occasionally, I would even push people away so that they would not be crushed to pieces, and I did not have the time to discern if the people I pushed aside were from my family or the Church.

“Family Head!”

A shout made my heart quake. I swiftly took a step back and, despite the imminent danger, turned my head to see an armored person. Amidst my bewilderment and uncertainty, they pushed their semi-transparent helmet up.

“Family Head, it’s me,” he shouted.

Dong Fang Lei.

Although I knew it was wrong, I still felt a moment of relief when I saw that the person was, fortunately, not Curtis.

Right then, Dong Fang Lei’s expression shifted abruptly. He raised his gun to shoot an endless barrage of bullets. I was stunned, as I had not expected Dong Fang Lei to shoot at me. Right as I was about to retreat, I quickly realized that I was not the target of his gun.

When I looked back, I found that the young master had been forced to keep some distance away, and was no longer using the Circle of Death. He was not even looking at me, his eyes looking past where I was to focus behind me instead.

I surveyed the surroundings and realized that the battlefield had quieted down without my noticing. Both sides had ceased fighting. It could have resulted from my subconscious actions of keeping everyone at a distance, or perhaps from the might of the young master’s Circle of Death. Everyone else was further away, warily watching the young master.

Both sides of the war have been cut off! A great amount of happiness surged forth in my heart. Perhaps it was because the Circle of Death had been too attention-grabbing. It would have been hard not to notice… Could that have been the young master’s intent?

I possessed the advantage of speed. Such large-scale attacks would not actually hit me easily. The young master should have realized this, yet he, despite his flawlessness, had decided to use this attack. Could the answer be any clearer?

Dong Fang Lei waved a hand as he shouted, “The Family Head has been found. Everyone, come and protect—”

His words were cut off by a gunshot. The bullet blasted a person-sized hole in the ground next to my feet.

“No one move, or else I will blast off this vampire’s head!”

Sin strode out from the Church’s side with a large-caliber gun.

“You dare?!” Dong Fang Lei could not control his fury. His entire face twisted as he roared like a demon, “If you dare to harm a single hair on Family Head’s body, the Elysees will fight to the death!”

On one side, all the members of the Church had their guns trained on me. On the other, all the members of the Elysees family took aim at the Church. Dark Sun and I were stuck in the middle, with our weapons pointed at each other. What kind of situation is this? I was unable to comprehend how things had led to these circumstances.

Sin narrowed his eyes dangerously. To him, the words “fight to the death” were infuriating, not deterring.

“Sin, why bother with the effort?”

A person walked out from the rear. At first glance, I thought it was the Sun Emperor; however, I soon realized that it was Luo Ye.

The young master turned his head to look at the other man with a terrifying expression as though he wanted to eat him alive.

On the other hand, Luo Ye wore a gentle and harmless smile as he suggested, “Just let him and Dark Sun fight it out. None of us need intervene. If Charles Endelis defeats Dark Sun, we’ll let the Elysees take him; if he loses, then he must stay with the Church. What do you think?”

It took little contemplation to understand these words. The malicious intent behind Luo Ye’s suggestion was nearly overflowing.

The Sun Emperor had ordered the young master to kill me, so he would fight me to the death. Moreover, he was able to ignore all pain, and was a cyborg that could fight right up until the end. My victory would only mean Dark Sun’s death. In that case, the Sun Emperor would absolutely never let the Elysees family go.

If the young master won, he would kill me. Immediately after, Dong Fang Lei would undoubtedly lead the family to shoot at him without restraint as revenge for the family head. Would even Dark Sun be able to survive the gunfire of the thousands of troops from the Elysees family?

Regardless of what happened, the young master would die, and the Elysees family would be the perpetrator. The Elysees family and the Sun Emperor would be locked in an unending war, and the Church would only have to watch from the sidelines. Perhaps they could become the leading world power in one go without having to fear either side again.

“In your dreams!” Dong Fang Lei immediately rejected the proposal as he roared, “No matter what, the family head must safely leave with us!”

The Church’s response was a chain of gunfire, preventing him from coming near me.

Dong Fang Lei’s answer was very straightforward as well. He immediately waved a hand and all of the family members’ guns returned fire while he advanced toward me step by step.

Sin’s motions were practically identical. He directed the Church’s people to continue forward.

The two armies continued to charge forward while attacking each other. At this point, even the young master could no longer attack me. He instead glanced in both directions, seemingly contemplating his next action.

“Stop!” I could not bear to watch my family and the Church start a war. As I saw that the situation was on the verge of going out of control, I immediately commanded, “Everyone, retreat.”

Dong Fang Lei halted in his tracks, though he had no intention of retreating. He merely attempted to ask, “Family Head, could you come over here?”

I hesitated. I could instantly move behind Dong Fang Lei using x-speed, and could even leave the battlefield in a few seconds. However, I could not ensure that upon my departure, the two parties would truly stop fighting. Moreover, the young master might still pursue me, so this could not resolve the issue…

A figure suddenly flashed next to me using a vampire’s unique slide steps. Aside from vampires, the young master was the only one I had ever witnessed using such an ability. This single movement instantly changed everyone’s relative positions. The young master stood between Dong Fang Lei and me as he coldly declared, “If you run away, I will join hands with the Church to annihilate the Elysees troops.”

I instantly felt my blood boil from fury as I shouted, “You cannot do that!”

The young master’s voice became even louder as he roared, “I don’t want to do it either, so don’t run!”

At this point, the only possible choice was to go all in. Any decision could lead to massive casualties. I grit my teeth and furiously hissed, “I accept this condition. If I defeat Dark Sun, you must let me go.”

Sin furrowed his brows and coldly asked, “And if you lose?”

After making my decision, I calmed down and neutrally said, “Then I will stay behind. Perhaps I will have already died. You can also capture Dark Sun; X will come to find him out of vengeance. You will not suffer any losses regardless of the result.”

Naturally, these outcomes did not account for the Sun Emperor. I did not believe that the Sun Emperor would allow the young master to fall into the Church’s hands. Although I did not know exactly what he wanted, I refused to think that the Sun Emperor truly did not care about the young master’s life!

“Family Head!” Dong Fang Lei cried out in grief and indignation. “You do not need to compromise with anyone. Do you not believe in our ability to protect you?”

I believe in you, but I do not believe that I am worth your protection.

I took in a deep breath and then firmly declared, “I will win. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Dong Fang Lei asked in disbelief, “How could I? You are not skilled in combat!”

Not skilled? I remained silent. Perhaps that was true in the past, but ever since having a hero as my young master, I had become increasingly skilled at the… one ability that my honorable father had wished for his child to lack skill in.

I smiled and raised my head to ask, “Young Master, would you say I am strong?”

The young master stared back at me intently, then smiled as well. “If only Charles were a bit weaker, I would not be instinctively forced to kill you.”

Even with the young master’s endorsement, Dong Fang Lei could not believe it. With a burst of strength from my legs, I instantly rushed past the young master, who had no intention of stopping me.

When I raised my hand, the energy dagger was already pressed against a particular person’s face—which was the only exposed part of their body.

Dong Fang Lei’s eyes stared at me unblinkingly, though his calm demeanor was unable to convince me that he was unaffected. His eyes had undoubtedly widened just now.

I quietly stated, “You would already be dead if I had wanted to kill you.”

Dong Fang Lei eyed the dagger, tacitly agreeing by not refuting my statement. No matter how powerful a person was, death would be the only outcome if an energy dagger pierced their skull.

“Since you address me as Family Head, then you must also trust me. If you do not regard me as the Elysees family head, then why did you bring the family members to die in battle?”

Dong Fang Lei ground out through clenched teeth, “Can I really trust you? Family Head, you’re a good person, but you are too good. You would rather die than allow harm to befall your family. How do you expect me to believe that you will truly live on?”

I fell silent. My record indeed had too much evidence against me. At the moment, however, I had too many reasons for which I absolutely refused to die!

“Even if I must die, it will never be by the young master’s hand!”

I pulled out a handful of candies. I did not know how many there were, but I tossed them all into my mouth and swallowed them together after crushing them.

I must win!

I raised the energy dagger and took a step backwards. Then, I launched through the air to change positions. The instant I landed, I forcefully pushed off my feet and shot outward.

The young master watched me with his lips quirked upwards. He no longer looked as robotic as Dark Sun, nor as innocent as the Angel. Rather, he seemed somewhat excited, as though he very much looked forward to this fight.

I did as well.

My entire body began to heat up because of the candies. It felt like my blood was boiling, and I was practically unable to restrain the…desire to battle in my heart!

If I lost, X would sink into the cycle of revenge. I would never be able to find the answer to Curtis’s actions, and the young master would never be freed from his habit of assigning levels of significance to people.

I cannot lose!

Even if I must—kill Dark Sun!

I used x-speed to dash in front of the young master. He could not actually keep up with this speed, but he had no intention to match it. He merely stood in place and used the simplest possible movements to block my energy dagger right before it landed. If I did not immediately retreat afterwards, he would take the opportunity of this brief pause to initiate his attack. There were several times when I was nearly wiped out by the scythe. If I were not fast enough, my movements might be restricted to just dodging his attacks.

After retreating from our first clash, I quietly asked in slight disbelief, “You can see my movements?” If I did not have the advantage of speed, then I could not even consider a chance of victory.

Fortunately, the young master shook his head and replied, “No, I can only approximately determine where you will strike from. Charles, I have always been watching you as someone to learn from, as well as someone that could become a potential enemy.”

I started. Could it be that the young master was wary of me from the beginning?

The young master explained, “All strong figures are potential enemies. I cannot allow anyone to become more powerful than me. Only then can I protect the highest master. This is Dark Sun’s… my basic setting.”

At this point, his tone suddenly took a turn. “But I like growing stronger! It isn’t because of my microchip’s setting. I’ve always enjoyed combat. Every time Ezart intentionally angered you to start a fight, I was very envious of him. Actually, I really wanted to challenge you as well. But because I knew you didn’t enjoy it, and because you wouldn’t fight seriously…”

So, he restrained himself.

“I’m very sorry, Charles. But after we finish this one battle, I will never fight you again.”

The young master gripped his enormous Death Scythe with both hands, battle intent pouring from his eyes.

“Just this once!”

I clutched the dagger in my left hand and formed a rapier in my right. The blood armor was still thinly covering my body. Under my current condition, it would not be difficult to materialize a blood shield as well. However, there was no meaning in doing so; when the Death Scythe swung down, evasion was the top priority. I could not meet it head-on. The blood shield could only be used as a final defense.

“Then, is it all right even if I kill you?”

Burning blood flowed through my body like lava. My entire body was boiling; even my breaths were hot as steam. My fingers were shaking, but not from anxiety or fear. Rather, I was restraining myself from brandishing my weapon.

“Charles, you look really dangerous.” The young master smirked. “Yes, it is fine. Kill me—if you can, that is!”

My fingers instantly stopped trembling as I focused on the young master. I really wanted to tell him how dangerous giving his permission was. However, I immediately realized that the young master knew this better than anyone else. His words were sincere. Even if he died, it would not matter. Right here and right now, he simply wanted to fight!

With a burst of energy from my feet, I charged at the young master. He did not move in response. I circled him like a tornado so that he was unable to see me. He could only swing his Death Scythe around to create an impenetrable defense, making it impossible for me to break through.

In reality, the young master was also extremely fast. The most terrifying fact was that despite the Death Scythe’s massive size and weight, it did not affect his speed in the slightest. All he had to do was land a single blow with the blade, and his victory would be set.

Fortunately, I was superior in speed. The young master could not hit me, but I could strike him, more or less. However, my attacks were not positioned well, and my strength was lacking. Perhaps it was this precise reason that the young master allowed my hits to land.

Even if I knew that his joints were his vital points, it was useless if I could not strike them.

Suddenly, after a hard swing, the young master exposed his elbow while retracting his blade. I attacked without hesitation, stabbing down with the energy dagger. Blood ability would not inflict a severe enough wound; it was the energy dagger that counted as a true fatal weapon for the young master. The instant a joint melted from the high heat, he would be unable to move so precisely.

However, this turned out to be a feint. The young master launched a kick before my attack landed, directly hitting my face. I had also recognized that this weak point was suspicious, yet had had no choice but to act anyways. After all, the young master was a cyborg that was unconditionally perfect. He had no flaws to speak of.

I tilted my body mid-air to spin, dodging the flashing kick. Then, I stabbed the rapier backward to slash at his leg. However, the Death Scythe swung down once again with a thunderous roar, cutting toward me as it knocked aside my rapier with the force of a million pounds. If the blade landed true, I would probably be split into half. However, with my body suspended in the air, it was impossible to dodge—so it was better to simply not.

I reached out to grab the surface of the blade, then lowered my body slightly to evade the edge. Placing my feet to step on the shaft, I wrapped my body around the Death Scythe.

The young master raised the Death Scythe, but I was lying horizontally underneath it. The entire world turned upside down, though this was not a particularly significant obstacle to a vampire. We were beyond accustomed to walking in the dark and hanging upside down. The kinds of locations that were impossible for humans to adapt to, on the contrary, had characteristics that vampires would find cozy.

The young master smirked, his expression actually looking similar to those the Sun Emperor made. As expected, they truly are brothers.

“You are simply my natural enemy, Charles.”

I also had not imagined that I could do such a thing. This way, the Death Scythe’s threat was significantly reduced.

“How long do you plan on staying there?”

The young master kicked at me, and I immediately rebounded off the blade to land on the ground. I then dashed out using x-speed and to once again launch into a long battle.

He could do nothing to me. Even if he could occasionally strike me, it did not feel particularly painful. Annoyingly, however, I likewise had no means of landing a fatal blow on him.

The scent of blood grew more and more intense. Although I could tell from the smell that it was impure and not appetizing at all, it was still better than nothing.

The hunger in my stomach was like a fire that began to burn and spread outwards. While I had not been completely satiated from the start, I had not imagined that the hunger would arrive so quickly. It was likely related to the extended battle. However, I could only endure it; the moment I lost focus, I would fall immediately.

I had to end the fight as soon as possible. If I lost my mind from hunger, there was no knowing what kinds of things I would do.

I increased my speed once more, getting faster and faster. Sometimes, I could not even clearly make out my surroundings, using instinct to move. Fortunately, the smell of the other person’s blood was so strong that it was sufficient for me to determine their position.

It reeked of blood everywhere. With so much food, why was I still feeling hungry?

“Charles? Why…are you…”

I did not know what he shouted. Since he was distracted, I circled around to his back and used x-speed to strike his knees, then jumped smoothly in front of him to seize the opportunity and stab down with the dagger. It pierced into the joint of his knee, and his blood spurted out onto my face. I licked it with my tongue. It really is unappetizing.

It was much simpler afterward, just a matter of time. I just had to continue injuring him… injuring him until I pierced the blade through his chest. We were only a few fists away from each other as he stared straight at me and sighed, “So strong. It’s a pity…”

I tilted my head, not wanting to drain him dry, but rather, wanting to hear what the words after “It’s a pity” were. However, he closed his eyes and did not speak any further as he simply collapsed. As I supported him, I licked his neck. It still tasted terrible, but I was truly starving and could no longer care about the quality of the taste.

I opened my mouth, and my teeth had already touched his skin when I suddenly stopped. The scent of rust was too thick. What a disgusting taste… What a familiar taste.

There were people shouting endlessly in the distance. Is there other food? This person has such an unpleasant taste, it’s better if I don’t eat him.

I picked him up and began to stride in some direction. There was a person constantly yelling at me there. So noisy. I’ll just eat him.

I’m truly so hungry…

“Family Head, you are severely injured. Let me bring you to get treated!”

I shoved the thing in my hands at the person, cutting off his incessant words. Then, I took another deep breath. This blood has a normal scent. It can be eaten.

“Hungry…”

“Family Head, what did you say?” He asked in confusion.

I opened my mouth and roared, “Blood!”

Bite down on the food’s neck…

But instead, I heard the clear sound of metal as a sharp pain from my teeth. Immediately, my mind cleared quite a bit. I stagged back a few steps, not daring to believe that I had actually wanted to bite Dong Fang Lei. If he had not been wearing metal armor, he might already have been…

“Family Head?” He asked in shock, “Do you want to drink blood? Sorry, I’ll take off the armor immediately—”

“No!” I cut him off, focusing all my efforts on finally curbing my thirst as I squeezed out the words, “I will drain you in a single bite. Retrieve blood bags as quickly as you can. Hurry!”

Dong Fang Lei’s expression changed and he immediately responded, “Family Head, please follow me. There are blood bags prepared in the back.”

While carrying the young master, he prepared to turn and leave. However, he was stopped by a gunshot. The bullet did not hit the ground, but rather struck his leg. Fortunately, his armor was sturdy enough for him to remain unharmed by the attack.

Dong Fang Lei immediately glared at the Church furiously. “Don’t tell me your words cannot be trusted? Very well. Even though the Elysees family dislikes battle, we do not fear it!”

Sin coldly stated, “We did not do anything. Do not think that we are as untrustworthy as you are, non-human!”

Dong Fang Lei was a human. As a true non-human, I had never questioned his race. However, despite Dong Fang Lei’s rage, he did not deny their words. Perhaps even he himself does not believe he is a human.

“There.” I gently patted him and pointed off to the side.

A third party had appeared on the battlefield. They all wore partial masks with a sun insignia in the center of their foreheads. Everyone knew that this was the Sun Emperor’s adjudication squad.

In an instant, Dong Fang Lei’s face changed completely. He bellowed at the red bowtie members, “Prepare for battle!”

I shook my head and said, “Just hand the young master over to them.”

He replied discontentedly, “Dark Sun tried to kill you. Don’t tell me you plan on just letting him go like this? At least use him to negotiate with the Sun Emperor so that he never tries to kill you again!”

I was so hungry that I was practically unable to think anymore, though this sounded reasonable. Letting the young master continue to chase me for eternity did not seem to be a solution. Most importantly, I had no desire to face the Death Scythe-brandishing young master again.

“Hand him over to Curtis.” Let him decide what to do. I can no longer think rationally.

So hungry, I’m truly starving…

Dong Fang Lei was delighted as he replied, “Yessir.” He turned to give a string of commands.

“Unit No.1, escort the Family Head away! Everyone else, stay behind.”

After stumbling two steps forwards, a group of people crowded around me, trying to offer support. I could not help but shake off their hands, afraid that I might lose control at any moment and pull an arm over to bite down on. Trading a life for a single meal was too high a cost.

“Family Head, please wait here for a moment.”

“Hey, where’s the blood?”

“What blood type do you want?”

“…A-Any should be fine?”

An unfamiliar face turned toward me to apprehensively inquire, “Family Head, may I ask if you have a preferred blood type?”

I turned my head to glance at these people, somewhat perplexed. The surroundings were filled with the strong smell of metal, making it difficult to determine whether they could be eaten or not. Though judging by their appearances, they should be food…

“Fa-Family Head?”

He can speak—it’s food!

The other person shrank back, but no one could be faster than me. I reached out to grab hold of him. However, just as I was about to pull his arm forward to take a bite, I realized at the last minute that it felt wrong to the touch. This is too soft to be food.

“Hurry and bring blood bags over!” The person shouted, “The family head is already starving to the point where his eyes are red!”

Several bags were tossed over. That person initially wanted to catch them, but I was faster. No one can steal my food!

I glared at him angrily as I bit down onto the blood bag, instantly sucking it dry. Then, I grabbed another one.

“So fast?” The person yelled out anxiously, “Quick, bring more blood bags over!”

A nearby voice responded, “Not a problem. There are plenty.”

After consecutively draining three bags of blood, the horrifying flame of hunger could no longer burn away my rationale, though it did not vanish. I lowered my head to see blood spilled on my hands. The taste of blood was all around my mouth as well. I knew that my current state was disastrous, but I was beyond glad that upon regaining my wits, I had not found my teeth already sunken into a person’s neck.

“Family Head, here.”

I glanced up to see a young member wearing heroic-looking armor. However, he was currently squatting down in a very un-heroic manner to look at me, his arms full of blood bags. His expression was slightly nervous, but did not show any fear.

Taking the blood bags, I stood to drink my food so that the person would not have to continue crouching in such an unbecoming fashion. As the blood bags decreased in number, the feeling of hunger gradually vanished. When I received more blood bags, I held onto them, somewhat hesitant whether or not to continue drinking. The amount of blood that I could drink was truly terrifying. Moreover, I no longer felt hungry anymore, though I was not at my limit either—likely seventy to eighty percent full.

In the end, I decided to talk while drinking, slowly finishing the blood bag.

“Are you not afraid of me?”

The lad was taken aback. Then his face gradually turned coarse and rough, soon becoming covered in scales. His pupils turned into slits that carried a bright yellow hue. He smiled as he replied, “If you enjoyed drinking lizard blood, I would be afraid.”

So he is also an Extraordinary? This army can’t have been comprised entirely of Extraordinaries, right? The family completely exposed their reserves of hidden strength, yet over a hundred people had still fallen on the battlefield from earlier.

“Family Head, do you require more blood?” The family member pushed more blood bags into my arms.

“No need, I am not hungry…ugh!”

After the thirst had completely faded, an unusual sensation spread from my limbs. Initially, I had assumed it was a soreness from overusing my power. However, the soreness not only refused to fade, but instead intensified to the point where I could no longer gather any strength. I raised my hands to inspect them, but discovered that my legs were already unable to bear my weight. My knees buckled and I collapsed onto the ground. The soreness penetrated straight through my bones, causing a sharp, shooting pain.

“Ahhhhhhhh—”

Only after the unending screams of pain reached my ears did I realize that I was the one crying out. My entire body was in so much pain that even kneeling was difficult. My knees hurt to the point that they could not touch anything. I could only lie on the ground, as any contact with my knees would make my whole body shudder in pain. All I could do was desperately grab at the ground in attempt to divert my attention, though that too had little effect.

Fearful voices rang out next to my ear. “Fa-Family Head, don’t grab like that! Your nails are already split open. Family Head, you…”

I could not hear any sounds after that. The unending soreness and pain made me wish more than anything that I could lose consciousness. However, though I was hovering between life and death from the pain, I still remained awake. My consciousness had already blurred to the point that I did not know where I was, yet I could not faint!

I had no idea how long this torture lasted. Another more intense desire gradually overcame the agony from my limbs.

I was hungry.

“Blood…blood!” I trembled as I spoke, the hunger igniting a fury as I repeated my roar. “I want blood!”

“Co-coming!”

The blood bags were passed over without restraint. I drank bag after bag, the hunger slowly fading. But at that moment, the pain from my limbs would surge forth again and surpass the hunger, as though all the bones under my skin were being gnawed at incessantly.

The hunger and pain continued attacking in turns. I did not have the capacity to sense anything else. I did not care or know anything about my location, the flow of time, or even whether there were people by my side. Nothing could compare to this eternal torment. I could only try curling into myself as I prayed for the ability to simply fade away like this.

Forget fading away, even fainting for a brief second was too much to expect!

Time slowed to the point that it felt as though several centuries had passed. I even believed that I had already lost my sanity. How was it possible to endure this suffering for so long?

“Family Head?” The other person looked at me and asked worriedly, “Do you still recognize me?”

I squinted at him. A name seemed to come out from my mouth, and the person nodded.

“The doctor said your body had completely fallen apart already. If it were not due to your strong recovery ability as a vampire and having consumed an unknown medicine, he believes that you would’ve long—Family Head? Is there something you want to say?”

“…Die.” I choked out in yearning, “I want to die!”

He opened his mouth, yet was unable to speak. He even turned around for a long while before facing me once again.

“Family Head, please continue to endure it. If you really cannot handle it in the end, I will grant your wish! But please try to persevere for a while longer first. The doctor said that the amount of blood you are consuming far surpasses that of a typical vampire. He suspects it is an effect from that unknown medicine. This blood might be helping you heal. As long as you continue drinking blood, your condition should gradually take a turn for the better. Therefore, could you please hang on a bit longer?”

“Let me die! I beg of you!” I could only plead relentlessly.

He did not speak for a very long time. Finally, he opened his mouth with much difficulty. “It’s just for a while longer. If your condition does not improve, I will personally end your suffering. Is that all right?”

I stared at his face for a while, unable to utter a word, unable to refuse or agree.

Unwilling to let me die, yet having no choice but to let go. His eyes were filled with the tears of a refusal to give up, yet he smiled as he responded.

My honorable father, when you were on the edge of death, had I faced you with this kind of expression as well?

“Curtis,” I called out his name.

“Mhm, what is it, Family Head?” Curtis leaned toward me, deeply afraid of missing a single word.

Do you regard me as your father?

I opened my mouth, yet could not voice my question. That action, that expression, was just like my own had been when I had sat next to my father’s sickbed. Was there still any need to ask?

Actually, this was not entirely unexpected. Curtis had lost his parents at a young age, and Sadina had wanted him to accept the task of protecting me. Curtis might have actually seen paintings of me more often than he had seen his own parents ever since he was young.

If he had seen me in my twenties since childhood, it would not be strange for him to regard me as his father.

That was why he had been so furious back then. I had not only abandoned his grandmother, abandoned the family, and abandoned him, but I had also acted so uncaring when he had first come to seek me. And, it had resulted in him landing in the hands of a vampire…

I patted Curtis’s head, and he stiffened.

“I should look a bit older.” That way, even if Curtis does view me as his father, he will not feel awkward or be afraid to express it.

Curtis earnestly replied, “You look great, Family Head. As long as you don’t smile.”

I smiled, then chuckled as I said, “Sadina always said she loved my smile. You and your grandmother are both similar yet dissimilar at the same time. How troublesome.”

“It’s fine as long as you aren’t smiling while enduring pain,” Curtis grumbled. Then he asked in delight, “Family Head, are you not hurting anymore?”

“I am hungry.”

As usual, the thirst was gradually overwhelming the pain.

Curtis hurriedly answered, “I will immediately have someone bring blood over.”

“Wait a bit longer.” I calmly stated, “The hunger can divert my attention, so there is no need to bring blood over so quickly.”

However, if my hunger dropped below my limits, it would be even more terrifying than the pain. Right now, I had to use the two kinds of suffering to curb each other. If I remained in either state for a long period of time, I would easily lose myself to insanity.

A flash of anguish passed over Curtis’s face. However, he immediately responded nonchalantly, “Understood.”

“How is the young master? He isn’t still in your hands, is he?”

Now that I was awake for once, this question suddenly came to me. I could vaguely recall Dong Fang Lei mentioning something about not letting the young master go. They can’t have kept him until now, right? The Sun Emperor would definitely go mad!

“Of course he is!” Curtis said in an utterly discomfited tone, “The Sun Emperor deceived me! At first, he said he merely wanted to test your loyalty toward Ri Xiang Ye. As long as you passed, he would make all the preparations for the many years you and Ri Xiang Ye possessed. He even had the means to help you resolve the issue of X being hunted by the Church… Family Head?”

I shrank back as the hunger gradually intensified, and immediately shouted, “Go out. I do not wish to bite you.”

Curtis answered instantly, “I will have someone bring blood.”

“…Wait a moment longer,” I struggled to squeeze these words out. Even though I was internally shouting for blood, I forcefully restrained myself. “I can still tolerate this degree of hunger. But please do not stay here, nor let anyone else without blood bags enter under these circumstances. I do not wish to accidentally kill any family members.”

“Understood.” Curtis worriedly glanced at me several times before turning to leave.

“Curtis!” I called out.

He immediately spun around and asked, “Yes?”

“If the Sun Emperor personally orders for the young master to stop pursuing me, you can let the young master leave.”

Curtis stiffened, and he tried to say, “But—”

“Just this one condition,” I interrupted him, repeating it again so that he could not refuse.

He sighed and replied, “Understood.”

After watching Curtis leave, I curled up on the corner of the bed, enduring the hunger as I struggled to think through various matters to divert my attention.

Was it really in order to test my loyalty toward the young master?

To the Sun Emperor, exactly how far must one go in order to qualify as being loyal to the young master? Do not tell me that it must be someone like him, who would even bury the entire world with his own hands for the young master’s sake?

Young Master, you truly do no need to use Dark Sun to conceal that you are no longer good.

Even if you fall into the depths of Hell, the Sun Emperor would already be waiting there long in advance to catch you in his arms.