Chapter 174: Father and Daughter Reunited
“Pepé, you fool—”
As the goat cheese came crashing down from the sky, landing on the man’s shoulder, the hoarse words he hadn’t uttered in ages froze the generous smile off Duke Skarlij’s face that was ready to meet his demise.
Pe…
What?
Even a wise guy like him couldn’t wrap his head around the raven’s words—despite the harsh reality of dying right here. It’s all or nothing, and the man hadn’t made the ruthless cut needed for “Emperor’s coldness”; without enough grit, he simply wasn’t a competent ruler.
He thought he might not lose to the Church, but before that, he had already lost to himself. It was hard to remain calm; he felt he had let Catherine down and betrayed the brave warriors of the Northern Region who had trusted and supported him. A big plan failed, and his daughter’s vengeance remained unfulfilled, all while he lay to d*e at the hands of a nun. He was filled with regret, unable to do anything about it, and complex feelings mingled in this final moment, rendering the raven’s words vaguely heard, almost like a hallucination.
Then, the raven called again.
“Foolish Pepé, come back!”
The man turned his head to glance at the dark bird on his shoulder.
His mind wobbled but quickly steadied—it was clear this time.
Clear, but still not quite grasping the significance of those words—he heard the raven call his daughter’s name, a name that hadn’t slipped from its beak in two whole years.
Duke Skarlij instinctively looked up.
Just then, the nun suddenly turned around, her profile a mix of shock and seriousness as she gazed into the distant sky. It was as if she’d encountered a formidable enemy.
So, the man’s gaze followed hers, and he saw a massive mountain of ice crashing down from the heavens. The ensuing tremors were disastrous; the sky seemed to shudder under the icy giant’s formidable power.
The tremor nearly sent the man tumbling to the ground, the injury to his chest pulling painfully, and his face twisted in pain.
Boom!
But right after, another iceberg came crashing down, the first wave of quakes not yet settled before a more violent shaking followed. He clutched Bella, who was barely conscious, and felt his eardrums ringing from the explosive noise. He vaguely heard something zooming through the sky creating an ear-piercing sonic boom, a sharp shriek followed by a series of muffled thuds that came dangerously close.
What…
His weakened mind, filled with a buzzing sound, and the tearing pain from his wounds made it impossible for Skarlij to stay awake and calmly assess the situation. All he saw was the nun’s face changing suddenly, radiating golden light as a protective barrier reopened in an instant!
She raised her hand as if trying to unleash some kind of divine miracle, but in the blink of an eye, she “whooshed” out, darting at a speed only visible to the fastest of eyes, crashing through countless remnants of walls like a cannonball, slicing through the earth for hundreds of meters, leaving a long scar on the ground.
The wind roared up a second later.
Boom!
The astonishing sound erupted right in front of him, unannounced, echoing from the spot where the nun had been standing, creating a whirling tempest that made Skarlij momentarily deaf. He shut his eyes against the force, feeling as if he would be blown away just like the nun.
In a moment of panic, he tightened his grip on Bella with one hand and hastily conjured an ice blade with the other, stabbing it into the ground.
The storm quickly receded.
As his ears gradually regained their hearing, Skarlij coughed violently, slowly managing to open one eye. He was shaken to his core, utterly bewildered and unsure of what had just transpired, only realizing that the nun seemed to have been attacked without understanding who or what had struck her.
Dust swirled everywhere, cloaking everything like smoke, and the raven on his shoulder had vanished into the gust—it’s angry cries echoed distantly, “Mama Li, Mama Li!”
Skarlij wanted to lift Bella to her feet; leaving here was the best chance now, whether anyone came or not. He felt a huge danger looming—whatever had knocked the nun away, in whatever fashion, wielded such violent power that he could hardly comprehend it. There was no way it could be from his side.
Yet, as he urgently tried to stand, he stumbled and flopped back down.
Can’t get up…
His legs felt like jelly…
Too much bl**d loss; he had no strength left…
The pain in his chest was worsening, and the bandage was soaked through and sticking to him.
He was far too weak, gasping for air, and began to cough from the dust, as if trying to cough out his lungs. Dizzily, he noticed the dust gradually settling, revealing a figure standing straight amidst the chaos.
The figure was skinny.
Draped in a cloak, the hood covering their face, they had a small stature.
He saw that the figure was looking in the direction the nun had flown out, then abruptly turned around and locked eyes with him.
Skarlij’s hair stood on end in an instant!
His mind was a jumble, dazed and confused; he had no strength to judge the masked face’s identity. His first thought was about escaping—this was a very dangerous individual, extremely so. The coldness in those eyes beneath the mask, so indifferent and filled with killing intent, made him feel like a field mouse caught in the gaze of a viper, instinctively wanting to flee.
But he still couldn’t rise.
In the next moment, he saw the raven flap onto the stranger’s shoulder.
“Fool, idiot!”
It squawked, flapping its wings and pecking at the person’s head.
That scene left the man utterly stunned.
Goat cheese…
This raven was clever, loyal, could sense danger, and would dash away at the first sign of trouble; it wouldn’t just naively perch on a stranger’s shoulder and peck at their head, especially not such a dangerous character. Skarlij gaped for half a second, the ringing in his ears vanished completely, and he suddenly recalled the name the raven had called out just moments ago.
“Pe, Pepé…”
He involuntarily whispered the name, still unable to connect a daughter to this figure, his mind blank, his mouth slightly ajar as if his thoughts had come to a screeching halt.
“…Annoying.”
Just then, he heard a sweet, gentle voice from the figure, “Shoo, shoo,” as she waved a hand, trying to shoo away the annoying black bird, which only prompted more excessive pecks from the goat cheese.
Skarlij’s pupils dilated in an instant.
Boom—
Something surged in his mind, a tingling sensation coursing through him like an electrical jolt from his spine to his entire body.
No way…
No way, no way, no way…
Impossible.
A thousand impossibilities swirled in Skarlij’s head, the surreal feeling overwhelming him, refusing to believe or accept it, yet a sudden sting filled his nose as his eyes grew hot.
He felt strung tight: “You…”
The figure took a step closer, and Duke Skarlij stood dumbstruck without thoughts of fleeing anymore.
His breath was heavy, thoughts turbulent, emotions running high; he even forgot about the pain. From the moment he saw the figure clearly, as she slowly walked towards him, only a few seconds passed, but his muddled, jumbled thoughts suddenly began to coalesce and sharpen.
The figure was well-fitting…
The height couldn’t be wrong…
Strands of hair peeked from beneath the hood—it was black…
On closer inspection, her eyes seemed black as well…
That voice was undoubtedly his daughter’s…
Everything matched her characteristics…
The mask was oddly familiar too; he remembered seeing it back at Queen Elizabeth’s…
Only the eyes didn’t quite fit.
His daughter’s eyes were typically pure, vibrant, and soft…
But this little girl staring at him lacked all the joy—her eyes showed only calm indifference.
Skarlij, holding Bella, attempted to get up again.
This time, somehow, he found the strength. He struggled to his feet.
As he looked at the approaching girl, he wanted to say something.
But suddenly, a golden light shot up into the sky in the distance, accompanied by a terrifying howl that seemed to tear through the air. Out of the corner of his eye, a colossal Holy Lance had almost instantly pierced through half the town, zooming towards them with unimaginable momentum.
Coming fast.
“Watch out—”
Duke Skarlij shouted, his eyes flashing blue, instinctively wanting to shield the small figure in front of him.
But he was powerless; just as he took a step, he stumbled, nearly falling again.
In the next moment, he saw the girl move.
With a sharp “ka,” the raven took to the sky almost simultaneously, and the girl’s foot turned sharply. With a bang, she launched herself off the snowy ground, vanishing instantly and reappearing ten meters away, stepping in front of the Holy Lance, bending her body and lifting one hand, palm facing forward—
Boom!!!
The deafening explosion resonated in his ears as the girl caught the fierce Holy Lance with one hand, her fingers gripping the tip tightly. The enormous spear towered against her tiny frame, and at first glance, it felt like an ant holding a tree…
But the Holy Lance slammed against her as if crashing into an immovable mountain. The spear halted mid-air, unable to advance another inch. The fierce wind swirled violently at the intersection of their powers, and the runes on the spear lit up, emitting a “hum” as an invisible shockwave surged outward, blasting apart abandoned houses and hurling debris. It seemed to strike her, and her cloak flared violently.
Skarlij turned to shield Bella, glancing back just in time to see that spectacle, his heart tightening—he realized that the hunters from their side had been gruesomely wiped out by such a bizarre, uncontrollable force.
Pepé…
Rage and sorrow bolted through him, yet when he turned again, he saw the girl seemingly unfazed. Her small body unleashed an unfathomable energy; with one hand, she pressed down and sent the lance crashing toward the ground with a thud, burying it deeply.
Mud and snow splattered onto him like rain, drenching him.
Skarlij was left in a state of astonishment; he had never felt like his brain was misfiring like it did today, staring at the girl in a daze as she leaped onto the spear’s embedded handle, then turned to look back at him.
“Father.”
He heard her call him that.
Meanwhile, hundreds of meters away from the little town, amidst the fading holy light, he could faintly see the nun, wrapped in a faint golden shield, slowly drifting through the air.
After calling out to him, the girl looked back at the nun’s figure, her tone light as she nonchalantly said, “Wait a second, I’ll be right back.”
It sounded just like she was going for a casual stroll.
