I'll Make the Sacrifice

"I never thought you'd take my words so to heart," Felix said, her voice filled with incredulous admiration. "Actually using this method to forcibly purify your distracting thoughts." "Though your distracting thoughts really are excessive. Is it because you're a demigod? You spent the whole night and still haven't finished purifying them." She pondered aloud, "Wait, that's not right. If all demigods were like this, the Sword Princess and the others should be just as bad as you, but I've never noticed any unusual signs from them. So this is probably just your own personal issue." *That's because all their unusual signs ended up right here with me!* Yaxiu completely gave up trying to defend himself. "Hurry up with your checkup and head back. If there's something to discuss, we can talk about it tomorrow." "What? You're still going to keep going? Wait, did I interrupt you? Are you actually not done yet?" Hearing Felix's poorly suppressed laughter, how could Yaxiu not realize she was teasing him? He snapped in annoyance, "I am the Observer Seat, you know. Could you show me a little respect?" "All right, all right, all right, I'll examine you right away... On second thought, forget it. You can fool around all by yourself half the night and you're healthier than I am; there's no way I'd find anything wrong. Besides, if I were to touch any unpleasant fluids... you wouldn't want to see me chop off my own hand, would you?" "Hey!" "Aren't I complimenting your impressive stamina? Don't be mad, the most I can do is stop laughing," Felix said with mock seriousness. "Still, I won't touch you. After all, the abstinence rule is in effect. I was just worried something might have happened to you—like rolling out of bed and knocking yourself out, or something... But shouldn't you exercise a bit of moderation? You are still under the curse, after all..." Yaxiu was beside himself with exasperation. "You've been laughing this whole time! You haven't stopped at all!" "Give me a second. Deep breaths, deep breaths." Felix took several deep breaths to steady herself. "I can't, I really can't stop. The moment I smell this scent, I just want to laugh." "You really are wicked..." Infected by her amusement, Yaxiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He waved a hand and said, "Didn't you say earlier you wanted to talk to me about something? Say what you have to say and hurry back to sleep." "Mmh, it's not actually that big a deal." Felix shifted her weight, the bed creaking under her hips. "I just suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. I had no right to comment on what goes on between you all in the first place, and I crossed the line with how harshly I spoke." "It's not your fault. I was the one who asked for your honest opinion." "But didn't your defenses shatter?" "I didn't expect..." "Did you honestly think that your behavior of being in love with multiple girls would earn the approval and admiration of an independent female sorcerer like me, Felix Vosloda? In your mind, was I supposed to gaze at you with starry eyes and envy your unyielding devotion to them all?" *Well said!* In the wardrobe, the girls gave Felix a collective thumbs-up in their hearts. Left speechless, Yaxiu admitted awkwardly, "So I was stupid, overly fragile, and practically asking for it, all right? So what are you here for? Did you feel like you hadn't scolded me enough and came back for another round?" Only then did Felix realize she had gotten a bit carried away. Calming herself down, she said, "Sorry, I accidentally maxed out my aggression again... But I don't think it's entirely my fault; what you said was just infuriating. "Still, no matter how much of a dumpster you are and how infuriating you can be, I shouldn't have said those things to shatter your fragile ego. I apologize," Felix said earnestly. "My upbringing taught me that even when facing scum, one should maintain their grace." Yaxiu was utterly speechless. "Are you here to apologize or roast me...? Fine, fine, I accept your apology. Even if your cooking tastes terrible, I won't use it as an excuse to make a fuss, okay?" "My cooking does not taste terrible," Felix scoffed, pursing her lips. "I spent a long time researching all those novel ways of eating you suggested, and I only let you taste them once I was certain they tasted good. "Actually, what I came here to tell you..." Felix let out a long breath and murmured softly, "Yaxiu, did you know I hate you?" "Really? I couldn't tell at all~" Yaxiu put on an exaggerated, coquettish voice, speaking in a thoroughly punchable, fake-innocent tone: "I always thought you loved picking on me just to get my attention~" The girl in the dark went quiet for a moment before asking tentatively, "Are you angry?" Yaxiu replied grumpily, "If I were angry, I'd have called people to beat you up long ago. Honestly... Your tongue may be sharp, but you hit right where it hurts. If I'm mad, I'm mad at myself—why would I be mad at you? Igola is just like you; he can't stand me either and roasts me until I want to crawl into a hole, but he's my best friend. "I might not be the sharpest guy, but I can tell goodwill from malice," he chuckled. "You don't need to go out of your way to apologize in the future. If I ask for your opinion, that means I trust you. If your conscience really bothers you, just bake me a cake tomorrow... Wait, no, the more I think about it, the madder I get—that guy Igola never shows the slightest remorse after ticking me off. I hereby declare Harvey is my best friend." "Are those two your only choices for best friend?" Felix asked. Yaxiu froze as a deep sense of sorrow welled up inside him—did his best friend really have to be chosen between those two pieces of shit, a deceiver and a necromancer? "Why do you suddenly want to eat cake?" Felix asked curiously. "You don't usually like sweets." "Ah, that's because today is technically my birthday. I don't care much for cake myself; the main point is sharing it with the Sword Princess and the others," Yaxiu explained. "Don't worry about that, go on with why you hate me." Felix fell silent, her tone deeply conflicted. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? How am I supposed to keep going now...? I actually chewed you out on your birthday...!" "You broke down my defenses, and I gave you a guilty conscience. Fair's fair, right?" Yaxiu grinned playfully. "If you can't bring yourself to say it, we can save it for next time." "No, I'm saying it right now." Felix shook her head. "Do you know when I started hating you?" "From the first time we met, when I kidnapped you on the train?" "It was when I met your two 'queens,'" Felix said quietly. "Sonia was already enough of a shock, and then the Witch came all the way from the Gospel Realm just to find you. At first, I thought they had been deceived, but later I realized that neither of them was willing to give up, and you wanted all of them... That was when I realized you were a disgusting Veela. "A dumpster who's unfaithful in love deserves to die." Yaxiu couldn't resist reminding her, "For my birthday cake, I prefer fruit cake." "I know it's your birthday! I'm just expressing my genuine feelings, not scolding you on purpose," Felix muttered. "The more extraordinary the Sword Princess and the Witch proved to be, the more I felt they deserved better. Every single day, I hoped you'd return from the Cage of All Stars only to be slain by them as proof of their path. "So these past few days, I was genuinely quite happy to see them keep their distance from you while you reflected on yourself." Felix continued, "When I said you were holding them back, I didn't actually mean you should cut ties with them completely. I meant you should choose your true love, love her wholeheartedly, and maintain the distance of friends with the others, instead of being this shamelessly promiscuous and messy." Inside the wardrobe, Diya, Weise, and Vichy could all feel Miss Sword Princess's leaping joy from the subtle movements of Sonia's body. They inwardly cursed, *As if you know Yaxiu would pick you!* and quietly lowered their opinion of Felix, tentatively tagging her role card as the "Sword Princess Faction." When Felix said something like that, she could only be categorized as siding with the Sword Princess! "Thank you," Yaxiu said genuinely. "But I can answer you right now. "I've always felt like a mudblood sorcerer, devoid of the refinement a sorcerer should have. I understand all the logic, but there are some mistakes I simply must make, and some people I simply cannot let go of. The only bad habit of sorcerers I've picked up is believing in miracles." *Believing that fake things can become real,* Vichy thought, her ears perking up. *Believing that impossible wishes can come true,* Weise thought, blinking. *Believing in fairy tales of princesses and knights,* Diya thought, pressing her lips together in a smile. *And believing that all love stories can have a happy ending,* Sonia thought, her expression complex. "So Felix," Yaxiu said with a smile, "I'm sorry, but I probably can't live up to your expectations." Silence fell over the darkness. Only after a long while did a faint, wispy sigh sound: "Just as I thought. "But that makes you the greatest unstable factor, Yaxiu," Felix said. "If you keep being so restless and distracted, you could very well tempt the Sword Princess and the others into straying, ruining this hard-won situation. Even if you wanted to refuse, you don't have the strength to protect yourself." *You're too late,* everyone inside the wardrobe thought. "So, to maintain the current atmosphere, I want to give you some... gifts. "Turn on your miracle bracelet; you should have received them by now." Yaxiu opened the miracle bracelet he usually used for watching dramas. A dimly lit light screen surfaced in the darkness, showing a new notification: *The Duke wants to pair with you.* He tapped confirm, and then received the photos Felix sent over— A blonde girl sat on a bed wearing a tight nun's habit, black stockings biting lightly into her thighs, perfectly setting off the short skirt. The bountiful softness at her chest was barely draped by two strips of white silk, looking as though a gust of wind would uncover it completely... Yaxiu instantly lost his composure and instinctively swiped to the next photo, only to see the blonde girl suspended in midair, bound by ropes that accentuated every contour of her body... Yaxiu decisively closed the light screen. "Where did you get a nun's habit? And how did you tie yourself up like that?!" "The outfit is just an illusion of water sorcery; I only altered its colors a bit. The ropes are a wind sorcery miracle; I just made them visible." Felix sounded a little nervous. "Well? Does it look good?" Yaxiu truly couldn't go against his conscience. "It looks good, very good, but why did you—" "I was worried that you'd be swallowed by lust and turn into a beast, then go and defile the Sword Princess and the others," Felix said, exhaling in relief. "The scent in your room also proves that you really do have the potential to become a beast. "So I thought... as long as I deplete your desires beforehand, the Sword Princess and the others will be safe. But by the rules, I can't touch you, nor do I want to touch you, so this was the only way." Felix seemed a bit embarrassed as well, her voice growing quieter: "You can just use these photos normally; I won't mind. "If you have any special requests—like outfits, poses, hairstyles, or whatever—you can ask, and I'll do my best to satisfy them. If you want to watch videos... as long as it's nothing too outrageous, I can film them for you. "But you have to promise not to lay a hand on the Sword Princess and the others and let them train properly, all right?" Yaxiu's lips twitched as he couldn't help asking, "But why go this far? Do you... actually like the Sword Princess and the others that much?" "A little bit, maybe. I really don't want to see brilliant female sorcerers held back by you," Felix said. "Besides, I'm already on the same pirate ship with you all, and I even attacked my own ancestor. There's no turning back for me now. I want our team's overall combat strength to keep rising, and everyone needs to train properly instead of vying for your favor. "Rather than let a dumpster like you defile them and hinder their growth..." Felix lowered her head and murmured, "I'd rather make the sacrifice myself."