The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

"(bite)"

Since you like kittens so much, why don't you just get one for yourself?

""

"Meow?"

【Huh? Aoko, you have a nosebleed.】

Chapter 144 The Princess, the Hero, and the Dragon (The End)

"Beep beep beep, dear guest, your experience card for 'The Poor Scholar's Night in the Desert on His Way to the Capital for the Imperial Examination: A Strange Tale of Ghosts and Demons' has expired. To find out what happens next, please pay for another experience. Were you satisfied with the private service you just received?"

A sea of ​​flowers under the moon, after the storm.

The young man casually straightened his clothes, then grinned at the rosy-cheeked, panting girl in front of him.

In a sense, Qingzi, who was just one step away from being completely devoured, spent a great deal of time calming herself down. After barely managing to calm herself down, she gently touched her chest. On the surface, she was still in shock, but in reality, she also had a feeling of unfinished business and a lack of interest. When she looked back, her gaze was filled with respect.

"I've never admired you as much as I do now. How did she manage to tame you, this devil, when she was stranded in the countryside? Have you two been playing this dangerous game all along?"

Aoko gazed solemnly at the composed young man before her. Just moments before, he had been a peerless actor and a cat demon who brought ruin to the country. Yet, with a mere change in expression, he had transformed back into the familiar young swordsman, calm and serene, his demeanor somewhere between otherworldly and detached from the world.

God knows how she found this monster on the beach back then.

"Well, you know, Shi usually talks like a 'don't approach me' guy, then she'll go into her little dark room and shut herself off. To coax her out of her little dark room, I try different things to cheer her up every day."

After hearing this, the believer seemed to seriously consider it for a moment, then smiled slightly and gave her a reply.

"I was just saying! I didn't know you guys were really going this far!"

No wonder she seemed so nonchalant and like an old married couple when we last met. It turns out she's already far ahead of the rest in the ways of womanhood, perhaps even reaching a state of perfection!

Aoko cried out in her heart.

"Just kidding. Shi is thin-skinned and can't take a joke. She often faints halfway through." Xin Nu laughed freely.

"You," Qingzi paused, her voice trailing off.

"What do you mean, 'you'? It's all your fault." The believer rolled her eyes at her.

"How can you blame me for this?" Qingzi asked in surprise.

"Yes, who told you to solemnly admonish me on the beach that no matter how dark and uncertain the road ahead, I must face the hardships alone with dignity, and that dividing my work into smaller parts is the act of a coward. Of course, there is no story of the three little birds in the dream in reality. I remember, when you were teaching me, you also took the opportunity to criticize your sister who is described as 'a person with glasses on, but not a person without glasses.' You really hate her, even though I've never heard you mention her name."

"You don't need to know her name, and I don't want you to know her name either. Just mentioning her name makes me feel nauseous."

"Alright, alright, I fully understand your feelings now. Let's get back to the point. It's precisely because you allowed me to live with dignity that I never tried to disguise myself through self-editing of memories or artificial personality splits. Instead, I performed the entire role like an actor from beginning to end. Ten years passed like a dream. I saw her build a tall building, I saw her entertain guests, and in the end, I blew her up along with the building. What you just saw was merely an actor's performance after the curtain fell, a joke he made on a whim to defuse the situation and make you happy."

“My dear woman, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t said those things back then, perhaps those ten years would have been easier for you.”

"There's nothing to apologize for. Besides, if apologies were enough, what would be the point of hell? Since you even went to hell with me, how could I possibly hold a grudge against you now that we've met again?"

"What you're saying sounds like something out of a stage play, it's making me a little scared. Since you're such a good actor, how am I supposed to know which of your words are sincere?"

"Then why don't you feel it again?" The believer smiled and opened her arms, revealing her heart. "From the moment I hugged you, my heart has been beating too fast and I still haven't been able to calm down."

"Of course I know your heart is beating fast, you idiot. If you're feeling unwell, you should calm down first."

“It’s not painful at all. I actually quite enjoy this feeling of ‘being alive.’ This feeling of being full of ‘humanity’ is a precious experience that I rarely had in the past. When my acting skills grew to the point where I could deceive myself and then deceive everyone, I once thought that my heart had completely turned cold and desolate, and would never beat so vividly and intensely again except when I was tearing apart my enemies. Until later, when I confirmed my feelings with Shiki, until I met you again after twelve years. It is because you have the joys and sorrows of ordinary people that I, a demon who was born not knowing what ‘humanity’ is, have been chasing ‘humanity’ like chasing the stars until now.”

"Thanks for your hard work."

He was greeted by a familiar, warm embrace. The evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of the flower field, brought a chilling coldness. He instinctively buried his face in that warmth, closed his eyes, and peacefully indulged in the scent he longed for. He could faintly hear the howling sea breeze and the ebb and flow of the tide. In a daze, he seemed to return to that late winter fourteen years ago, to that coastline permeated with the subtle fragrance of winter plum blossoms.

"Believer."

"Ok?"

"Although you've messed up many necessary procedures, but..."

"We're all time-manipulators, so isn't it normal for the process to be a bit messy?"

"The reasons are convincing, but as chaotic as they may be, the essentials must be followed. Given your personality, you wouldn't do save/load (S/L) or skip levels, and I doubt you intend to bluff your way through certain crucial issues, would you?"

"Of course. A life that can be relived by saving and loading would only make me feel cheap. So, whether before or after my ascension, I have never had the thought of going back to make up for my regrets. In my life, the past is a part that has long been buried. No matter how many regrets I have left behind or how many treasures I have lost, I will only look for precious treasures in the present and the future and hold them in my hands to protect them well. Only in this way can I live back in front of you with a clear conscience and tell you with dignity that, apart from not being able to live as that upright and courageous person, I have fulfilled all the other promises."

"You rascal, now comes the final question, the most crucial one, and the one you absolutely won't let slip away."

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"When, where, and why did you fall in love with me, my believer?"

""

"This time, I'll give you plenty of time. Think it through and then tell me your answer. Don't worry, I won't run away."

Under the moonlit sea of ​​flowers, the two sat back to back, leaning against each other.

Aoko was writing something in her notebook when Nobunaga secretly glanced at her and discovered that she was indeed thinking about future architectural designs.

While there are many brilliant ideas, a structure without a framework cannot form a complete design.

The believer carefully pointed this out while leaning on her shoulder, earning in return a weak elbow and a glare from Aoko.

"Of course I know that ideas alone can't support a complete design. This is just the beginning of the preliminary work, isn't it? Seriously, don't underestimate me. And what are you doing coming over here? Have you thought this through?"

"No."

"Then get back to thinking! If you can't figure it out, I'm starting the timer!"

"Waaaaah, you're bullying me!"

"Don't give me that. I've told you this is the only thing, and I absolutely won't let you get away with it!"

"Okay, please continue with your work. I'll go back and continue to reflect."

As a result, the believer gave up, obediently turned around and sat down, feeling the warmth of mutual reliance and support behind her, and sighed at the moon.

Human nature is perhaps like this: after a long pursuit that has lasted for more than a decade, it has finally come to fruition, yet people hesitate at the last step before reaching the door.

Was it because he wasn't prepared?

No, he had already realized it.

Does he not yet have the answer in his heart?

No, he already had the answer.

Is it because he has no sincerity and is just a philanderer who is only interested in playing around, that he needs time to cultivate a false sense of true feelings?

Wrong, dead wrong!

In truth, the believer simply didn't know where to begin.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime question and answer session between him and her. In a sense, it was also a detailed summary of his past nineteen years. Once the question and answer session ended, that past, which was a mixture of bloodshed and tenderness, would dissipate like smoke.

Because it's so precious and important, I'm afraid my answer won't be good enough, perfect enough, enough to express my true feelings, and won't satisfy her.

This impeccable and decisive man has hesitated only a handful of times in his life: once when he wandered along the coastline in his childhood, once before he betrayed his mentor's teachings while imprisoned in the lake's underwater dungeon, and once when he painfully bid farewell to his beloved as a teenager. Apart from that, he is a heartless actor, a monster without blood or tears. On the road to revenge leading to the underworld, he sings with his sword, facing death without hesitation!

This is the fourth time, and the second time he has hesitated because of the woman behind him.

Simply because she had witnessed and tolerated all his cowardice.

The believer decided to take a break and clear her mind for a while.

He turned on his personal terminal, which was connected to the electronic sea, after a long time.

That was a local specialty of the world he now resided in, something that was useless in the world of Thranheim.

But for him, many things are just a formality, and things that go against common sense can simply be made to seem reasonable.

Then, what came into view was...

【Herne, you've been exposed! Your glorious deeds are all over the Pan-European University Alliance forum! Nearly a thousand people are in Zurich looking for you with weapons in hand. You only told me that some of those girls were lesbians, but you didn't tell me that some of them had boyfriends! Are you still alive?! I haven't been able to contact you for twenty-five hours! If you're still alive, then reply! If you don't reply, I'm not celebrating Christmas and I'm flying back from the Far East right now! Wait! Brother! Hold on, don't die! At least keep your brain! Cybernetics it is! We'll just not be natural humans anymore! I'll even get cybernetics with you! Herne————】

What a mess

This old woman has the same muscular personality as her.

You've completely misjudged the situation, Makishima.

Thanks anyway.

He really liked the feeling of someone being so anxious about their life or death that they roared, the interpersonal bond called friendship, and this precious experience that he had rarely had in the past.

He casually tossed the thirty-seven identical emails into the trash can, then opened the communication interface of the muscular old woman named 【Makishima Urie】.

[When you have nothing to do, go out and enjoy yourself. Don't worry.]

Enter the following information and send.

[That's good! But if you want to play it safe, run a little further away and let those idiots fuss. Just do it, bro!]

back in seconds.

Thanks, I'll bring back some local specialties for your sisters.

Stay away from my family, you slut!

Why don't you just take it and deliver it yourself?

Oh, thanks bro! Merry Christmas in advance!

You're welcome, bro. And Merry Christmas in advance! Okay, you can get lost now.

【roll! 】

After resolving a misunderstanding, the believer continued scrolling down, eventually stopping in front of an ID with a full moon avatar.

The note is 【Sister Xian】.

The latest news came an hour ago, in other words, a little after 11 p.m., exactly one day after he "went to sleep," and there were three messages.

[My adorable little brother, are you coming home for Christmas?]

[I just bought the newly released HM92G, let's have a thrilling Christmas hunt!]

Even though this is your first year here, are you still planning to spend Christmas alone with me this year?

After seeing the time, the believer's initial reaction was that his stupid sister had stayed up all night playing games until the early hours of the morning again.

Secondly, after reading the message, he couldn't help but chuckle.

[Going back, playing, not planning on it, are you ready to be a sister-in-law? Kaguya.]

He naturally wouldn't disturb his elder sister's all-night revelry; he simply left behind these words.

After letting her older sister know she was safe, the woman continued to casually browse his contact list.

I've been living here with my older sister for a while now. When we first arrived, the sheer variety of light entertainment in this cyber world, bound to the earth by gravity, made my extremely NEET sister unable to move. She insisted on dragging me to settle in this lower world, which, in her eyes, had absolutely no romance whatsoever.

His original plan was to find a steampunk-style, mysterious lower world to settle down in, wearing a fur coat, a tricorn hat, a bronze flintlock pistol at his waist, and a moonlight holy sword on his shoulder, walking through dark corners of the night where gaslights couldn't illuminate the symphony of the difference engine, continuing to slay demons and monsters. However, his dear sister vetoed the idea on the grounds that there were no video games.

Oh well, I've always owed her something in this life. Let her be.

The electronic ocean world, which is essentially equivalent to a coexisting dimension, offered him some comfort with its surprises, and thankfully it wasn't too boring.

The inhabitants of that cyber world never actually created the "electronic sea" themselves; rather, the "electronic sea" existed in that world from beginning to end. They just didn't find the key to unlock its door until the mid-21st century.

The "Electronic Sea" breached the dimensional barrier, bringing the planet's primary material world closer to the star-like alien world. As a companion dimension to this transitional layer, the "Electronic Sea" naturally teemed with all sorts of strange and wonderful beings. The local natives were a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. His family, being outsiders, naturally wouldn't step forward to act as saviors of the Adventists. Besides, there were already many other outsiders on that planet besides him and his siblings. They were all fellow sufferers, living their own peaceful lives. As long as no one was secretly plotting to destroy a planet, he didn't care.

Let's all have fun together!

Of course, if anyone dares to secretly plot to destroy a planet or create some big news that affects the habitability of the surface, Mr. Hearn doesn't mind stepping forward as the "last defender of the planet" once or several times, crushing a few insects while protecting his elder sister's nipple paradise.

Oh, found it.

After her aimless browsing came to an end, the believer's gaze finally settled on an avatar that seemed completely out of place with everything else on the terminal interface.

In the cyber civilization of 2092, cultural media has completely entered a stage of fragmentation, symbolization, and meaninglessness. The public can hardly receive valuable spiritual nourishment from the old era through mass channels. Aesthetics have completely slid into an incurable abyss of light pollution, street graffiti, abstract art, and stream of consciousness. A few pages of profile pictures show a bunch of monsters and demons dancing wildly. In comparison, even Makishima's muscular profile picture—his selfie with his muscular chest—can be called refreshing and refined.

Amidst this light pollution or unconventional graffiti, a photo of an ordinary fruit stands out as exceptionally fresh and refined—more than just fresh and refined, it's like a lotus rising from the mud, untouched by its surroundings!

Seeing that the ID was still active, the believer didn't hesitate to call it directly and temporarily open a 【SoundOnly】 encrypted channel.

Are you there? What time is it where you are?

[1 a.m., um]

Could you please drink less tonight? Why is it that every time I call you you're either hungover or on your way to be hungover?

[I'm sobering up now, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly call my senior in the middle of the night to ask for the time? Hearn, which deep Hive have you run off to this time?]

[He still had the energy to argue, and his reactions were quite sharp; it seems he didn't drink much this time.]

No matter how drunk you are, you still have a well-prepared thought process; you won't be surprised.