Chapter 016: Fear in Hearts

Nicholas glanced around, his eyes filled with determination and sorrow. Then he took out two magic scrolls from his arms, shook them, and said in a low voice, “These are two Holy Light Shield magic scrolls. I believe everyone here understands that such Holy Light Shields are blessed by divine power. Their defensive capabilities may not be the best in the world, but they are certainly top-notch. With these shields in place, even if we jump straight down from here, I think nothing bad will happen. But the problem now is… there are only two Holy Light Shield magic scrolls… Even I can’t activate a Holy Light Shield. In other words, among us… aside from those two, the rest will have to stay here and rely on their own skills to survive. If we’re lucky, we might make it, but if not…”
At this point, Nicholas stopped speaking, but everyone understood his meaning—those who were unlucky would sacrifice themselves here. This was what was meant by “choice.”
Under the faint glow of the Holy Light, everyone’s expression became somewhat strange. But soon, the remaining four Temple Knights clenched their swords and stepped to the edge of the area protected by the Holy Light. Their radiant combat auras burned brightly, filled with fighting spirit.
These four Temple Knights were self-aware. They knew that the two who survived would have to continue with the mission. But with their strength, even if they managed to escape by chance, they had virtually no chance of defeating Aldas. So they simply gave up on the chance to survive.
The remaining four exchanged glances, and the atmosphere grew even more silent.
After a moment, Du Fan suddenly smiled faintly and said, “Given the current situation, I’m the one with the least chance of surviving. So, Master Nicholas, you don’t need to consider me for this role. But you should really think carefully between Alfred and Miss Tasia.”
Nicholas glanced at Du Fan and suddenly said, “Young Master Du Fan, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. You see… my first choice isn’t anyone else but you…”

Du Fan frowned slightly. Although getting this chance to survive 100% was beyond his expectations, he felt something was off. After thinking for a moment, he still couldn’t figure out what it was. He could only sigh softly and say, “Why?”
Nicholas shook his head slightly. “I initially considered myself as the first candidate. Though I’m a divine magician, my divine power isn’t very effective here. Alfred, despite his exceptional skills, is rather single-minded. No matter how skilled he is, he has no chance against Aldas. That’s why I’m entrusting this last chance to you, Lord Du Fan… With your abilities, even if you can’t defeat Aldas, you should be able to give him a hard time, right?”
Du Fan sighed lightly and remained silent.
Nicholas glanced at Tasia again and said, “As for Miss Tasia, I know you’ve barely used any magic along the way to conserve your strength. Out of the three of us, you are undoubtedly the strongest right now. I hope you’ll promise me to follow Lord Du Fan’s orders no matter what and protect him well. If it were just the two of you, maybe there would still be a chance to complete our mission.”
At the end, Nicholas suddenly smiled again—a smile even more delicate than a woman’s—followed by a hint of desolation. “If I survive, and find that you two haven’t completed the mission, I definitely won’t let you off.”
Without giving Du Fan or Tasia a chance to speak, Nicholas suddenly shook his hands, and two holy light shield magic scrolls enveloped Du Fan and Tasia. The speed was so fast that they didn’t even have a chance to resist.
Immediately afterward, Alfred waved his hand, and pure light combat energy burst from his palm, blowing Du Fan and Tasia away. The two holy light shields landed among the groups of undead creatures, and soon, agonized screams filled the air.
Du Fan felt himself falling rapidly as the undead creatures around him quickly fled. In the direction he was looking, he could faintly see Nicholas still smiling gently under the holy light in that spot.

Du Fan felt a pang in his heart. Although he had long planned to use these people from the Holy Church as pawns, he never expected them to do such a thing. Even though Du Fan considered himself extremely despicable and shameless, it would be false to say he wasn’t moved by this incident. He couldn’t help but want to take some action, but as soon as he moved slightly, he realized his body had already been frozen within the holy light shield. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move at all. He glanced slightly at Tasia beside him; although she didn’t move, the expression on her face was so cold it seemed capable of freezing ice.

…

It was unknown how much time had passed. Only the eternal light shone inside the cave, with no changes in the sun, moon, or stars, as if time itself did not exist. A few small reptiles crawled out of nowhere. Under the light, they curled up slightly before diving back into the rotten, stinking soil. This slight movement seemed to add more foulness to this ancient city. This smell seemed to disturb someone’s sleep—suddenly, a figure lying on the ground moved slowly. The reptiles that had been resting on him were startled and quickly jumped away, disappearing into unknown directions.

Du Fan lay on the ground, feeling his limbs grow increasingly cold and his head dizzy. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was. But shortly after, the previous scene flashed through his mind—the swarm of undead creatures, the magic scrolls emitting holy light, and Nicholas’s bewitching, woman-like smile—immediately clearing his mind. Though his body still ached, he struggled to lift his head and look upward. From where he was, he couldn’t see all the walls of the huge cave clearly, but he could tell that the undead creatures that had once crowded like locusts had disappeared. This meant that the battle, which had lasted who knew how long, must have ended. How many of those creatures had survived? Alfred, Ferre, Nicholas, and countless other familiar faces appeared in Du Fan’s mind. He hesitated—had sacrificing so many people for his own goals really been worth it?

There wasn’t much else, but everything Nicholas did in his final moments shocked Du Fan deeply. Having lived two lives, he had always believed he had seen through all human nature and was confident he could understand anyone’s thoughts. Yet he never could have imagined why Nicholas would give him a chance to live at the last moment.

He thought hard for a long time but became even more confused. Was the belief he had held all along—that those who don’t act for themselves deserve punishment—false? Or did such selfless saints truly exist in this world? The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. Finally, he let out a soft sigh and slowly lowered his head.

But as soon as he did, he was shocked— a cold, beautiful face was right in front of him. The owner of that face stared at him with an expression that seemed to want to devour him.

Startled, Du Fan almost screamed, but suddenly he noticed something strange with his hand. Why was what he was holding so soft and warm? Instinctively, he grabbed it again, and his heart skipped a beat: It’s so big, so comfortable!

With that thought, strange feelings surged in Du Fan’s heart. His heartbeat quickened, and he applied more force with his hand. This time, he exhaled in amazement: So… so elastic…

But after those few grabs, Du Fan noticed the face before him becoming even colder. Suddenly, it seemed as if the person remembered something, and their expression froze.

“What are you doing!” Tasia’s voice was as cold as ice, and combined with her icy expression, it made one feel chilled to the bone.

“I… I didn’t… I just… it was an accident… everything was an accident,” Du Fan stammered in panic. Whether intentionally or not, his hand grabbed it a few more times. The sensation of softness made him tremble, and immediately, a delicate, small tent was erected beneath him at lightning speed.

For some reason, after falling from above, Du Fan ended up lying directly on top of Tasia, with almost no space between them. So when the tent was set up, its top pressed right against Tasia’s area.