Worth It

She actually dares to badmouth me in front of Yaxiu? Hearing the Silver Lantern lodge a complaint with Yaxiu, Sonia's first reaction was not anger, nor sadness, nor even surprise, but rather an urge to laugh. It was hard to describe the feeling—like watching an anti-fan smear you in a chat group, completely unaware that it was actually the internal die-hard group of the Paw-Stretching Club. "Has the Silver Lantern been charmed by Yaxiu?" Diya whispered softly. "How could she suddenly do the very thing everyone else has been wanting to do..." "Hmm?" Sonia pinched Diya's cheek. Diya quickly changed the subject. "Shh, she's badmouthing you again..." * "If any of us says a single extra word to you, she targets them during training." Weise kissed Yaxiu's neck, the god's plump, soft curves gently rubbing against the sorcerer's chest. "Sometimes when I discuss sorcery with the others, just mentioning you earns her glare from the shadows. She's like an overly sensitive leopardess. "She's also terribly suspicious. She's the one who consults the Gospel God the most, checking everyone's abstinence progress every day. Anyone even suspected of stepping out of line gets a stern warning from her. "Teaming up with the Sword Princess is honestly exasperating. A person like her is a born tyrant; anyone around her walks on eggshells," Weise said softly. "Yet if that were all, we could just endure it. The real problem is... she is the only one who genuinely wants to take revenge on you. "Yaxiu, do you really think the Witch, Vichy, or I would ever propose something like abstinence? Vichy has no say whatsoever, the Witch is so deeply attached to you, and how could I ever make a suggestion that would make you unhappy? "It was the Sword Princess's idea." The glasses-wearing girl widened her eyes, gazing up at Yaxiu from below as she spoke softly. "She did it to punish you. After all, right after crossing the realm, you did that to the four of us... and even Felix has to be counted... Even though she knows you were healing us, you truly stepped straight onto her biggest landmine that time. She was furious. "Even if she knows the chances of you abandoning us are slim, the way you dote on both her and us at the same time is practically an open declaration to her that she can only ever be one of your partners... Her romantic fantasy was already as fragile as glazed glass, yet you shattered it to pieces. "Honing skills was merely an excuse she came up with. She only wanted revenge on you, which is why she broke the news the day after rewarding you—giving you a taste of sweetness first before making you suffer. She wanted to watch you lose sleep and appetite over her, watch you turn into someone unlike yourself—" "Enough." Yaxiu took hold of her arms, pulled her into his embrace, and slowly shook his head, enunciating every word. "Don't say any more." "I'm not finished yet." Weise wasn't bothered in the least by Yaxiu's stern tone. Nestling in his arms like a cat, she chuckled softly. "Did you know that the Sword Princess has been working on modifying the Sword Body Barrier wonder all along?" Yaxiu was taken aback. "The Sword Body Barrier?" "For offense, you have the 'Heart Hunter Throne,' and for defense, you have the 'Refraction Ward.' Your aerial combat capabilities already cover your mobility needs. So the Sword Princess was wondering if she could rework the Sword Body Barrier into a crowd-control wonder, so that when you face enemies you can't dispatch quickly, you can trap and restrict their movements," Weise said. "Although there's only a bit of progress so far, she's a genius; it won't be long before she achieves results... Oh, by the way, she specifically told us not to tell you. She wants to surprise you, so when the time comes, act like you don't know a thing. Don't let her find out I spoiled it." Yaxiu instinctively glanced toward the wardrobe. Weise noticed his gaze, but just as the god was about to turn to look, the sorcerer promptly sealed her little mouth. The sorcerer even instinctively channeled source energy, and muffled whimpers of begging for mercy soon echoed in the tent. After a lingering moment of intimacy, their warm breaths intertwining, Yaxiu whispered, "I thought you were trying to badmouth the Sword Princess..." "I'm still not finished." Weise adjusted her glasses and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Her flushed face was filled with bone-melting allure, and her slender fingers trailed across Yaxiu's abdomen, exploring the treasure beneath the quilt. "Whenever no one is paying attention, the Sword Princess always sneaks a peek at you and then hastily looks away, terrified of being caught, like a thief," Weise giggled. "The funniest part is that whenever you're bathing, she's always off training her reconnaissance wonder all by herself... Normally, that's something you should be doing." "I wouldn't..." Yaxiu instinctively started to deny it, but realized upon reflection that replying like that would be tantamount to admitting Sonia was even more perverted than he was. He quickly corrected himself: "It's just a coincidence. She isn't that kind of person at all." Inside the wardrobe, the moment Diya asked, "Is it a coincidence?", Sonia gave her butt a fierce pinch. Weise suddenly asked, "Did you notice that there's a silver lantern in the bath?" Yaxiu blinked, looking at Weise with an inquiring gaze. Weise nodded, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she looked back at him. "That's right, I am exactly that kind of person. When you finish bathing, I can feel the whole camp's atmosphere relax, which is how I know for sure that both the Sword Princess and the Witch are that kind of person too." Diya was pinched by Sonia again, feeling thoroughly aggrieved. Everyone did it—what right did the Sword Princess have to pinch her? "That's why I knew from day one that the Sword Princess regretted it," Weise smiled. "She wanted to learn to be cruel to you, but ended up being the first one unable to bear it. "Even though you had just shattered her romantic fantasy, she still couldn't bear to let anyone else touch you. After you passed out, she held you tightly and wouldn't let go, as if terrified that we would harm you while you were unconscious—though Vichy certainly was capable of that. Only after the camp was set up and she had tucked you in safely did she finally have the leisure to be angry at your promiscuity, angry at your loss of control, and angry that you wouldn't give her even a shred of false hope. "The Sword Princess isn't like us. If loving you is going to Heaven for us—where there might be worries, but we're immersed in cloudlike bliss, content even if the troubles can't be resolved—then loving you is descending into Hell for the Sword Princess. Her path is strewn with thorns and endless tribulations, and only by relying on the sweets you give her has she been able to hold on until now. "Yet, we don't pity her in the slightest." Weise's voice grew somewhat cold. "In our eyes, the Sword Princess is just a silly girl suffering from her own choices. Nobody is targeting her; she simply refuses to let herself off the hook, just as she refuses to let you off the hook. She can neither fully embrace it nor let it go." "Don't say that," Yaxiu said softly. "Yet I distinctly remember that back in the Distant Sky Realm, the Sword Princess wasn't like this at all," Weise said. "Her becoming sensitive, suspicious, clingy, and irrational—it's all because of you, Yaxiu. "No matter how unwilling I am to admit it, I have to concede that the Sword Princess is a girl worthy of your love." "So, Yaxiu," Weise looked at him and said earnestly, "Let's confess to the Sword Princess."