Chapter 135 - Fatal Temptation
Translated by Eve
Edited by Serefina
6. Fatal Temptation
Xie He covered his shoulder and fell to one knee. He looked up and saw that several elves had raised their bows and were pointing their arrows at him. Sorrow and pain arose in his eyes. For a moment, his expression wavered and he murmured, “You said…Elder Wil is dead…?”
One of the elves glared at Xie He angrily. However much he had once worshipped and revered Xie He was how disappointed and upset he now felt. “Galanodel, did you forget what you’ve just done? Elder Wil trusted you so much but you killed him! And didn’t you know just how much destruction releasing the God of Darkness would bring forth to the Continent? Why did you do that?”
Pain and grief bubbled in Xie He’s heart but he still did his best to remain rational. He said in a solemn voice, “I did not kill Elder Wil, nor did I release the God of Darkness. It was Joshua who had betrayed us. He released the God of Darkness and schemed against me. I came back to warn you all to escape. It will soon be unsafe here.”
Who would have expected that this explanation would not ease the tension, but would actually make the elves more worked up?
One of the elves raged, “Indeed, it is as His Eminence Joshua has guessed. He said that Galanodel would certainly try to be crafty and shift the blame onto him! But only Galanodel escaped so no one would be able to testify on his behalf.”
Another elf said, “That’s right. If it wasn’t because Galanodel was seen when he went to assassinate Elder Wil, we would not have believed the truth! It’s too inconceivable!”
When Xie He heard this, he finally understood what was going on. It seemed that Joshua had arrived before he did and tossed the blame onto him. Furthermore, the person who had assassinated Elder Wil must have been Saj. There was no doubt about it!
When he thought of that despicable Holy Son and God of Darkness, his chest filled with grief and indignation. He shouted, “You actually believe Joshua’s words? He’s the real traitor! He has been deceiving us from the start. He went to the Dead Sea Forest to release the God of Darkness. The one who killed Elder Wil was not me but the God of Darkness, taking my form. They are partners.
“You would rather believe the Holy Son you are unfamiliar with, than believe me?
“I am one of you. I am your King. I exist solely for the purpose of protecting this forest, protecting you all, protecting the light. I’ve done this for several hundred years. But now, you all choose to believe in that despicable man….”
Sorrow flashed in Xie He’s eyes, “Is this the trust you have for me?”
Xie He words swayed many elves, causing their expressions to falter. They had personally witnessed Xie He killing Elder Wil not too long ago and then heard Joshua’s words. They had been blinded by their rage, believing in Xie He’s betrayal. However, when they heard Xie He’s analysis…they felt that it was impossible.
Compared to Joshua, they obviously trusted Xie He more but….
Just who was telling the truth?
Confusion appeared in their eyes.
“How about…we first take him back and let the Elders decide,” one of the elves said. If Xie He had really been framed, they could not hurt him.
The other elves nodded their head in agreement.
Although doubt had arisen in their hearts, at such a crucial time, they did not dare to be careless. They bound Xie He with a rope weaved out of vines and took him back.
The Elves’ encampment was heavily guarded. It was obvious that they were ready to engage in battle.
Xie He was escorted over. All along the way, he saw quite the number of familiar faces. Most of the elves looked at him with fury and disappointment. There were also some elves that had expressions of disbelief and perplexity. Some even looked terrified, as if they were facing off against the incoming darkness, of which they were terrified and defenceless….
Xie He was locked up in the prison. After one night, he was brought out. The remaining Elders had gathered together. The other elves spectated.
After Elder Wil had died, the next eldest elder, Elder Mileya, had taken over guarding the Nature Shrine. She looked at Xie He, expression complicated, and said, “Galan, regarding your explanation, I have already been informed. We are obviously willing to believe you, but this matter is too sensitive. We cannot make our decisions based on faith. We require evidence.”
Xie He had been injured and locked up all night. His complexion was terrible but his eyes were still bright. He slowly shook his head. “I have no proof. Everyone has died. The ones remaining have all been killed by Joshua. Only Thamior and myself have escaped. But Thamior and I were separated.”
“I know,” Mileya sighed. She said, “Since that is the case, we have only one method left. The elf that killed Elder Wil used dark magic. It was obvious that he had been corroded by the darkness. We need you to undergo an inspection. If you have not been corroded by the darkness, then you must be innocent and the killer must be someone else. You can prove your innocence this way. What do you think?”
Xie He’s face paled.
Mileya’s gaze was fixed on Xie He, “Of course, if you’ve been corroded by the darkness, then that means that what you said were all lies. You will be branded a traitor! As everyone knows, we pure, natural elves are the hardest beings to corrode with darkness. Only long-term exposure to the darkness or a willingness to fall can cause us corruption. Otherwise, we cannot be corrupted. Therefore, this is the safest and most effective way.”
After saying this, the elves tied Xie He to the tree. Another elf went to get holy water from the Nature Shrine.
Xie He stared at the holy water that was getting closer and closer. Fear appeared in his eyes. No…no...his body was no longer pure because the darkness had corrupted him. Even the holy weapon had sensed the filth inside of him….
When he saw the elf carry the holy water over to him, Xie He suddenly began to struggle like mad, dodging the water.
The surrounding elves were astonished to see this scene. They had thought that since Xie He had been so resolute in his own innocence, he would definitely be unafraid of the holy water test. They had been anticipating the results even more than Xie He had been, to see that their King was still as trustworthy as before, that he hadn’t betrayed them…. But this scene was out of their expectations!
Xie He unexpectedly resisted!
Mileya’s expression changed. She suddenly stood up, eyes fixed on Xie He and ordered the Elven warrior: “Pour it down!”
That elf did not hesitate and pressed Xie He down, forcing the holy water into his mouth.
The pure holy water that was usually harmless to elves, was like lava flowing down Xie He’s throat, bringing with it intense pain. Xie He forced down his mournful screams. It felt like his organs were boiling up. The dark and light energy inside of him clashed and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The colour of said blood was black….
But this wasn’t the end. The burning pain lasted a long time. Xie He’s entire body was covered in a layer of cold sweat…his hair stuck to his forehead and his head hung down limply.
When he stopped moving, the elves walked over and raised his head. What they saw was…. a layer of black fog billowing in his emerald eyes.
The dark energy in his body was restless.
The elves broke out into hubbub. The elves that had previously trusted and supported Xie He broke out into anguished noises as they fell apart. Some of the elves also made furious, hostile snarls. It was obvious that the darkness had already corrupted Xie He. He was the murderer!
Strong disappointment appeared in Mileya’s eyes. A long time later, he proclaimed, “Galanodel has already been corroded by the darkness and has become a fallen dark elf. He is no longer qualified to be our King. I order him to be expelled from our race. Today, he will pay for Elder Wil’s death with his own!”
The other elves echoed in agreement, howling for Xie He’s death.
Xie He listened to those angered shouts and those disappointed curses; he watched as his former companions glared at him with hatred&#k2026;. He finally realized that there was no way of salvaging the situation.
Any explanation would be useless. No one would believe him.
Even he hated himself. His forest no longer welcomed him, his companions no longer trusted him. Everything he cared about was leaving him. A corrupted, repulsive life like his should be ended&#k2026;. The only reason he had persevered in coming back was to warn his comrades of the impending doom.
Right now, his mission was over.
Xie He did not struggle or move. He suddenly felt at ease. The Elves knew that the darkness had already descended. They knew that danger was near. Even without him, there were the other Elders. They would definitely lead the Elves to safety….
Meanwhile, he, who was repulsive and filthy, ought to return to the earth.
Xie He calmly watched everything. His expression became peaceful.
He watched as a tall Elven warrior approached him with a lavish-looking silver sword. This was the Elves’ treasured sword. It was covered in a layer of pure light energy and could slay anything pertaining to the darkness.
Xie He shut his eyes and waited for death.
At this moment, a violent gust blew around them and darkness enveloped everything from the sky to the earth. The space seemed to solidify. None of the elves could move. They watched the sudden change with fright in their eyes.
Slowly…a man clad in black seemed to appear out of thin air. He stood in the middle of the open space.
He was an extremely handsome man. He had a straight nose, thin lips, and long phoenix eyes that held pupils as dark as a deep abyss. He was deathly pale and his long black hair was tied at the back of his head. His black robes dragged along the ground.
He acted like no one else existed and headed towards Xie He. There was a sinister smile hanging off of his lips.
Xie He stared at him blankly. Although it was the first time seeing this person, he knew that this was Saj.
This was his true appearance.
Saj walked over to Xie He. With a gentle slashing movement of his fingertips, he cut Xie He’s binds. Saj then reached out and caught Xie He in his arms. He lowered his head and looked at the other with a loving expression, “My faithful follower, you’ve done very well. I’ll take you back home now….”
Xie He lay in Saj’s arms, powerless. There was only sorrow in his eyes.
He now knew that no one would ever believe in him again. Saj’s arrival was a testament to his betrayal. It put him squarely into the Darkness’ camp. He would never be tolerated by the Light again.
Even after death, he would be engraved with the scorching brand of ‘Fallen One’.
Xie He slowly struggled to raise his hand. He clutched at Saj’s sleeve, a weak voice emitting from his throat, no louder than a breath. Only Saj could hear it.
He said, “Don’t kill them, please….”
Saj laughed and squinted his eyes in satisfaction. This was the first time this beautiful elf had implored him while fully conscious. It felt so wonderful and gave him a lovely sense of accomplishment…. He was happy to fulfill this request.
After all, this was how much he liked him.
Saj swept a disdaining glance over the elves who were shrouded in fear and then slowly disappeared into the darkness with Xie He in his arms.
Following Saj’s departure, the hold on the elves released but the terror in their eyes did not dissipate for a long time.
Even though Saj had only appeared for a few seconds, the shadow of dread he brought had engrained itself deeply into their bones.
Mileya stared in the direction Saj and Xie He had left, not moving for a long while.
Finally, she took back her gaze and sighed. “Pack up. We will leave now.”
From this moment on, they had to leave their homeland in which they had existed for many tens of thousands of years, and find a new home. During this journey, they would encounter many dangers and difficulties. However, they had no choice.
The Darkness has come.
………………………………
Saj left slowly with Xie He in his arms. He bent his head down and kissed Xie He on the lips, transferring pure dark energy mouth to mouth. The dark energy quickly expelled the remnants of light energy that the holy water in Xie He’s body had left and gradually healed his wounds.
Xie He’s body trembled slightly. He could feel that icy, wicked energy incessantly corrode him, invading his blood, piercing his skin, and seeping into his bones…. This time, it was a very distinct feeling.
No….
He had just regained a bit of strength when he suddenly pushed Saj away, glaring at the other with eyes full of hatred.
Saj was not angry over being pushed away by Xie He. He only smiled. The closer he got to the elf, the more infatuated he felt…. It was rare for him to stay interested in something and not get bored. This elf always seemed to catch his eye and make him unwilling to let go.
Even if he had been corrupted by darkness, even if he had been misunderstood by his clansmen, even if he had been cruelly sentenced to death…his resolve had not wavered in the least. To the end, he still wished that his clansmen could live on. He was even willing to beg the fiend he hated the most, the fiend that had stolen everything from him.
His beautiful heart didn’t seem broken in the least. It was still dazzling to the eye.
How could it be enough to only corrode his body?
Saj longed to see the day in which the elf would be corrupted from his body to his heart….
That way, the elf would completely belong to him….
【Ding, the target Saj’s Favourability Value +5. The current Favourability Value is 70.】
The corner of Saj’s lips curled up and he bore into Xie He’s eyes. He chuckled quietly, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll turn around and kill them all?”
Xie He’s expression froze. His hands clenched tightly into fists and shook faintly. He didn’t make a noise.
Saj stared at his appearance of anguished forbearance, and glee emerged in his eyes. He said, “Don’t worry. I already promised you that I’ll let them off. There’s no fun in using the same trick twice.”
Xie He still gazed at him apprehensively, obviously not believing him.
Saj laughed with his low voice, letting Xie He down. He said, “Let’s go.”
Xie He was startled, as if he didn’t understand what Saj was doing.
Saj smiled as he looked at him. “Let’s go see whether this world is worth your protection….Let’s go see how dark and detestable the hearts of humans are….”
After saying this, he once again disappeared into the darkness.
Xie He did not hesitate to turn around and flee. After descending the mountain, he found himself in a human town. It seems that he had already come to a far away land.
【444：Host dada, QAQ….】
【Xie He：It’s been tough on you.】
【444：( ⊙ o ⊙ ) Ah?】
【Xie He：You were actually able to hold off crying until now. You’ve made a lot of progress. I am very happy. Smile.JPG】
【444：……】He’s going to get angry! Yingyingying!
【Xie He：I’m doing great, Baby. I know that you’re worried about me. 🙂 】
【444：……】No, I’m not worried about you at all!╭(╯^╰)╮
【Xie He：To be honest, if the plot didn’t require it, I think Saj and I could have some really great conversations. I would absolutely be happy to chat with him about just how dark the hearts of humans are. Sigh.JPG 】
【444：How about you become a Fallen One for him to see then?】Then there’d be nothing stopping your true nature from peeking out. _(:зゝ∠)_
【Xie He：There’s no helping it. For the sake of love, I can’t do it.】
【444：Then what do you plan to do now? @[email protected]】
【Xie He：The bet is already on. We’re the gamblers at the table. Gamblers, ah, they’re never willing to accept their losses…. The more they lose, the more they are unwilling to let go. Therefore I just have to have him keep losing. When he loses his entire fortune, he won’t be able to leave me. 🙂 】
【444：……】
Because Saj had transferred dark energy to him, Xie He’s injuries had almost completely healed. He didn’t look any different on the outside.
Xie He could sense the changes in his body and how quickly it was turning towards the Darkness. He no longer had kinship towards the forest and nature, nor could he use light magic anymore. It was because the Light now rejected him…. Unless he was willing to use the dark energy, he was no different from a regular person.
However, Xie He would never use dark energy. He would rather endure splitting pain and risk his life by using the remaining light energy in his body than to fight with darkness. He wanted to slow his transformation. This made him extremely weak.
Xie He arrived at the town at the foot of the mountain. This was one of the Human’s territories on the east side of Nolan Forest.
The Darkness’ corrosion of the Continent was not particularly fast. This was because transformation required an immense amount of energy. It was a very slow process. However, the scariest thing about the God of Darkness Saj was not just this, but that his darkness could tempt the hearts of people…. It was like the Valley of Death. Although it was not obvious, its spread could not be stopped.
He could release greed, jealousy, anger—all sorts of negative emotions from the hearts of humans, without limit. He could bring with him strife and war, death and battle.
He could make all the races battle to the death against the humans, causing the Continent to fall to the flames of war.
Xie He gazed profoundly at the other side of Nolan Forest, longing appearing in his eyes. His homeland…was on the eve of disappearing…. Slowly, he turned around and resolutely headed in the opposite direction.
He needed to head to the Church and tell the Pope that the Holy Son had betrayed the God of Light and had made a deal with the demon.
Right now, only the Church had the power to fight against Saj.
Xie He kept away from all humans throughout the entire journey. When he was hungry, he would eat some wild fruits. For once, Saj seemed to have disappeared. He didn’t continue to pester him.
Today, he passed through a dangerous forest and encountered a party of humans that had been surrounded by wild beasts. It was obvious that this was a merchant party and they were not very strong. Right now, the party was retreating non-stop. There was despair on every one of their faces.
Hesitation appeared in Xie He’s eyes. Elves rarely appeared in the human world. It was rather dangerous for him to expose himself. However, he could not watch on unfeelingly as people died in front of him.
Xie He pulled out his bow and aimed it at the wild beasts. Each arrow accurately stabbed the beasts in the eyes!
Very quickly, those beasts were killed by him. The remaining ones fled. Xie He sighed in relief. He jumped down from the trees and said, “It’s very dangerous here. It would be best for you to quickly leave.”
The humans had thought that they would die today. Who would have expected that they would be saved? Furthermore, the one who saved them was…unexpectedly an elf!
This elf’s pale blond hair seemed transfused with a gentle light, making it appear like the light of early dawn. His emerald eyes were more dazzling than gems. His pointy ears made it clear what race he was. He also had a tall, slender body, and perfect features. This kind of existence…stunned them into speechlessness.
This was the first time they’ve seen one of the rumoured elves!
After a while, the head of the human party, Jonathon, stood up and stammered, “Your Excellency, we are extremely grateful to you for your aid.”
Xie He didn’t want to interact with the humans. He nodded and was about to leave.
At this moment, an adolescent girl ran over and grabbed Xie He’s arm. She pleaded, “Your Excellency, we’ve encountered many ambushes on our journey. There are still a few days left before we can leave this forest. Could you please escort us out? I’m sorry…I know this request is very presumptuous but we have no other choice. I beg of you. You’re a benevolent elf, so you will help us, won’t you?”
This was a delicate and pretty adolescent human girl. She had curly brown hair and freckles over her nose. She was currently looking at him with tears in her eyes, looking helpless and pitiful.
Jonathon felt a bit worried and said, “Lina, quickly come back. Don’t offend His Excellency.”
Lina turned her head and said, “Father, my older brother died from the last ambush. If we don’t have His Excellency, we will not be able to leave this forest alive. Do you want us all to die here?”
Upon seeing this, Xie He sighed. In any case, it was on the way. He might as well escort them out.
“I can see you out,” Xie He said.
Surprised glee appeared on Lina and Jonathon’s faces. They thanked Xie He without stopping and then offered the best food in their caravan to Xie He. However, Xie He did not eat human food, so he continued to pluck wild fruits for his own consumption.
Like this, Xie He and the human party set out. Along the way, they indeed suffered several ambushes from wild animals. However, because of Xie He’s excellent marksmanship, each catastrophe was averted. After a few days, they finally reached the end of the forest.
Tomorrow, after leaving here, he would split ways with the humans.
Xie He sat against a tree to rest. Just then, Lina walked over. She had a lively personality. While the others didn’t speak much to Xie He, she would always circle around Xie He, chattering on nonstop every day. Xie He got close to her. He was no longer so distant.
“Your Excellency Galan, where do you plan to go next?” Lina asked, curiously.
Xie He said, “I’m heading to the Church.”
Lina’s head dropped, her voice gloomy, “Oh…then we’ll be parting ways. I hate to part with you.”
Xie He smiled, “I will also miss you.”
When Lina heard this, she seemed to feel better. She was no longer as downcast. She handed a canteen to Xie He and said, “You seem thirsty. This is some dew water I collected for you. Drink some.”
Xie He accepted it.
【444：Host dada! Don’t drink it! It’s drugged!】
Xie He smiled at Lina and said, “Thank you. I am a bit thirsty.”
He then drank the water without any hesitation.
【444：…………】
【Xie He：Baby, what’s wrong?】
【444：It’s drugged. QAQ】
【Xie He：Isn’t that good? Doesn’t Saj-Saj want me to see the darkness inside of humans? They’re simply delivering a pillow to me just as I’m getting sleepy. I love high efficiency.】
【444：……】Why did he bother just now??? Indifferent.JPG
After drinking the water, Xie He felt a bit dizzy after some time. He felt that something was wrong. Elves would not feel like this unless they were drugged. He wanted to stand up but he fell to the ground, powerless. His vision became fuzzy.
He saw the humans surround him. Jonathon and Lina stood in front of him.
The humans who had been incredibly respectful now reared their ugly heads. Jonathon said, “My beloved Lina, you’ve done so well. After selling this elf, not only will we be able to clear our debts, we’ll make quite the profit.”
Lina let out a proud laugh, “I thought of this the moment I saw him. This is a legendary elf. If we let him go, it’d be too much of a pity!”
Jonathon bellowed in laughter, “I heard that the City Lord of Dahl City loves to collect these kinds of precious goods. If we offer it to the City Lord, perhaps he will bestow upon us noble titles.”
Lina said, “I think we can auction him off. That way, we will certainly get an exorbitant price on him. What can’t we buy if we have money? Let alone a trifling noble title.”
Disbelief appeared in Xie He’s eyes but he ended up losing consciousness soon after.
………………………………
Xie He didn’t know how long he had slept for. When he woke up, he found that he had shackles around his neck, wrists and ankles. He was locked in a cramped cage. He couldn’t even stretch out his limbs. There was a black cloth over the cage. He could not see outside.
He tried to break free but the shackles were very thick. He could not break it off.
A short while later, he felt his cage raise. Soon after, it seemed like he had arrived in some room. The room was filled with raucous noises and the atmosphere made him uncomfortable. It made him sick.
His cage was once again placed down slowly.
He had no idea what was happening. But suddenly, the black cloth covering his cage was lifted off and an intense light blinded him, making him unable to open his eyes for a moment.
He could hear a resonant voice, “Right now, we have the last item—the climax of our auction. It is a legendary elf! You should know that it has been several hundred years since we’ve seen an elf in the human world. This is a legendary existence that one can only encounter surreptitiously! If you miss this opportunity, you will never have a chance again! Starting bid is ten million! Minimum raise is two million! Bidding begins now!”
Xie He finally opened his eyes to find himself on a stage. There were rows and rows of seats all around him. Sitting there were countless humans of all shapes and sizes. There were probably several hundred people there. They all looked at him with crazed, avaricious expressions. The atmosphere was at an unprecedented high!
As soon as the auctioneer’s voice fell, countless bids echoed again and again!
Eve: Rip my poor pure elf. The wicked humans don’t deserve you. Also~ I picked up a new novel. It’s a horror/comedy survival UF novel with a rather shameless protagonist. Paintings of Terror. Check it out if you’re interested~
sere: Eve +1… fuck these merchants and Saj