I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 875

Chapter 88: Stepping into the Future

At the end of the light that obliterated everything, Nidhogg’s gaze gradually cleared.

What came into view was a dream-like scene, the very image it had once yearned for.

Amidst a cluster of flowers, a sweet dragon girl held hands with a black-haired knight, pledging their hearts to each other forever.

Then, the girl turned back, smiled brightly, and reached out her hand.

Even knowing that this hope was impossible to achieve, Nidhogg couldn’t help but reach out to grasp it.

It was just too tired.

As the overwhelming gray light faded away.

Above the sky, as the smoke dispersed, the wind swept away the remnants, brightening the heavens once more.

The dark golden illusion slowly shattered, and the black dragon fell from the sky.

The cries of the dragons rose and fell, no longer filled with murderous intent.

The black dragon was defeated.

Once towering, the doomsday volcano was completely leveled, its crater plunging hundreds of meters down, even the magma beneath evaporated under the strike’s might. The battlefield where the two dragon kings clashed was even more brutal than where the human and dragon armies met.

Supporting the Golden-Winged Griffin, the battered Roy struggled to reach the black dragon’s side.

The blurry elder leaned on a cane, also stumbling over to join.

Half of Nidhogg’s body had been severed, and its previously shattered scales left its unprotected chest thoroughly pierced.

Maybe it was like a final moment of clarity.

Life and blood continued to flow out, the black dragon’s gaze was filled with exhaustion but also unprecedented clarity, devoid of any traces of dark energy.

Looking at the barely surviving black dragon, Bahamut breathed heavily and sighed softly.

“Child, I have let you and the dragon tribe down, I don’t dare to hope for your forgiveness.”

“But no matter what, you shouldn’t drag innocent lives into war, nor should you lure your kin into fall. This must come to an end.”

As his words fell, Bahamut lowered his head and stepped aside.

Seeing the black-haired boy with a sword approach, Nidhogg showed little reluctance, surprisingly calm instead.

“Perhaps.”

“Father, you are right, but I can never walk the right path like you. You can hold grand ideals, but all I see is the smallness around me.”

“No matter what, the victor takes all, and you all have won.”

After this calm reflection, staring at Roy, Nidhogg’s expression was complicated: “But before that, False King’s blood, I want to ask you a few questions.”

Roy corrected him softly: “My name is Roy.”

Nidhogg remembered this name, its gaze falling onto the bloodied sword in Roy’s hand.

“Roy, Favna always said humans are weak yet strong, gentle yet kind. Do you feel the same?”

To its surprise, Roy shook his head.

“Apart from strength, I don’t think there’s any difference between humans and dragons.”

“We can all laugh, cry, cherish our loved ones, and hate due to loss. In the end, as you said, the victor takes all, it’s that simple.”

“Humans often turn swords against each other, so the grudges between our two races will inevitably end in defeat.”

Nidhogg sadly lowered its head.

Actually, it had long had the answer in its heart.

The small humans and great dragons, emotionally connected, actually had no essential differences. It was just that during the painful years blinded by hatred and eroded by dark energy, it had to hate something to keep going.

Perhaps, it just wanted to believe in the things Favna believed in at the end of its life.

To hate humans while deluding itself into believing in humanity’s goodness.

Bahamut nearby also closed his eyes, sinking into bitterness.

“But, there is hope still.”

Nidhogg looked up in surprise, and Bahamut opened his eyes, lost in thought.

This was the first time Nidhogg, free from the erosion of dark energy and a thousand years of hatred, sized up the young boy before it.

Black hair, black eyes, covered in blood. The gaze he cast was neither warm nor filled with endless hatred.

Chewing on the beautiful words the boy spoke, Nidhogg murmured, “Will you forgive us? Do you truly believe there can be a beautiful future between us?”

“Whether to forgive or not, only those whom you’ve hurt have the right to decide,” Roy said coldly.

“As for the future, I can’t guarantee anything will come to fruition.”

“But I want to believe that between us, there’s more than just a fate of blood and fire.”

The young boy’s dark eyes seemed to encompass everything, like an endless night sky, stirring something in Nidhogg’s heart.

It finally understood the difference between itself and the boy.

The calamity of the world was able to invade because of the gaps within its own heart.

If, thousands of years ago, on the day Favna fell, it too had chosen to believe in goodness like him, rather than surrendering to fate, wallowing in self-pity, and blaming humans…

The past can’t be changed.

But the future doesn’t have to be the same.

It had become the fuse for centuries of grudges between dragons and humans, but if the future was entrusted to someone like him… even if it couldn’t turn towards goodness, it would surely take a step closer to the future she longed for.

Perhaps this was just self-deception, but Nidhogg was willing to believe it.

“Thank you for ending all of this.”

The final whisper faded into the wind.

Roy pierced the dragon-slaying blade through its body, completely severing the chains of hatred.

After giving a sad yet relieved smile, Bahamut’s figure faded away.

Roy finally slumped down, collapsing onto Cheese.

“Big brother, it’s all over now. You can take a good rest; I’ll send you back.”

Roy shook his head at those words.

“No, there’s one more thing.”

“Huh?”

Roy exhaled deeply, then lifted a lighthearted smile: “Having achieved fame by slaying a dragon, don’t you want to take this opportunity to see Miss Cake?”

————————

The fall of the black dragon marked the complete defeat of the dragon clan.

Without their leading dragon, a sense of weakness permeated the entire dragon group. Even with their overall strength still in the lead, the dragons were in complete disarray.

Watching the dragons disperse like a tide, Naz fell to the ground, laughing heartily. Karl also dropped his sword, leaning against the griffin to let out a deep breath.

The knights cheered, some weeping, some laughing, celebrating the hard-won victory under the finally clearing sky.

The waves of sound traversed the battlefield, spreading into the town. Even the citizens, no longer fearful, rushed into the streets, embracing the sunlight.

However, amidst all this joy, the crimson princess stood silently beside the ice dragon’s corpse, staring intently in the direction of the volcano, indifferent to everything around her.

Whether it was the merit of slaying the dragon or the joy of victory, Charlotte ignored it all, allowing blood to flow unceasingly from her wounds, yet she remained frozen in place, unwilling to take a single step away.

The Extraordinary Being and the princess had fulfilled their duties. At this moment, she was just a simple girl, eagerly awaiting the return of her other half.

Until a glimmer of gold streaked across from afar.

Her scarlet eyes lit up initially, then trembled violently.

On the Golden-Winged Griffin, the black-haired boy didn’t return proudly, but instead lay limply, as if he would never move again.

“Cake!”

Charlotte leaped onto the golden-red griffin, racing through the battlefield to Roy’s side.

Noticing the familiar aura approaching, Roy propped up his head, revealing a smile: “I’m back… huh?”

Before the griffin could steady, the crimson girl rushed over, enveloping him in her embrace as they descended from the sky.

Her trembling shoulders, anxious sobs—Charlotte did her best to lift her head, seemingly wanting to show a confident smile like usual, but seeing the boy drenched in blood caused uncontainable tears to flow from her scarlet eyes.

“Worried about me this much?” Roy teased.

This time, she didn’t awkwardly deny it, her voice shaky and muffled amidst her sobs: “Of course, how could I not worry?!”

“Sending you alone to face the demon dragon, how could I not be concerned?!”

Gazing at the girl’s swollen eyes, Roy chuckled gently with much compassion: “I kept my promise, you know?”

I didn’t vanish after slaying the dragon; instead, I came back safe.

“So about the marriage proposal response…”

“You’ve known the answer all along, haven’t you? My answer has always been just one thing.”

The girl closed her tear-stained eyes and responded with a kiss laced with remnants of blood.

Under the azure sky, sunlight pierced through clouds, the breeze swept away the smoke, the young boy and girl stained with each other’s blood held each other tightly.

Immersed in the scents of gunpowder, rust, and the even hotter softness of gardenias, Roy closed his eyes, letting his heartbeat soar for this moment, feeling the warmth of life with Charlotte.