TVIRAD – Chapter 34

Arc 3
The Glory of God (4)

~✨Happy New Year✨~

Previous | ToC | Next

After she was done teasing Elt, Ye Chen was totally satisfied.

She particularly enjoyed Elt’s anger. In her opinion, Elt’s anger was very exhilarating. In this regard, though, her excitement was totally lost on 38. It earnestly warned, “Host, you are playing with fire.”

To begin with, Elt was not a man of good temper. Sadly for 38, Ye Chen didn’t care about it.

She was bathing, humming and singing along the way. She reassured it, “It’s okay. He won’t do anything.”

“Who gives you the courage to think that a Big Boss like Elt who could destroy a world won’t do anything? Liang Jingru^[1]?”

“You don’t need to worry about it.” Ye Chen stepped out of the bathtub and put on a bathrobe, “I have a sense of measure.”

She was a person with a remarkably keen sense of emotions. She didn’t know why, but her feelings told her that deep inside, Elt was exceptionally tolerant of her. To deal with others, Elt had a lot of methods. But when it came to her, Elt probably wouldn’t do anything more than fry her hair. 

This blind sense of trust, she didn’t know where it came from. However, she wasn’t one to dig something to the bottom. 

She always believed that fate existed. 

Meeting someone, falling in love with someone. knowing the truth, exerting oneself to strive for the best, and reaching their ending. Everything had been predestined a long time ago. Before the time came when you should know, you couldn’t rush it.

Therefore, even though she realized there were many strange things transpiring, she was not inclined to probe into it. One day, she would know the truth. 

Ye Chen obtained a good rest, but Elt didn’t. His feelings towards Ye Chen were very contradictory. On one hand, he hated her. On the other hand, deep inside his heart, he had infinite indulgence for her. 

One of the cases was when she kissed him. He was furious about it, but that scene kept repeating in his dream.

Bathed in the moonlight, the girl approached him and kissed him on the cheek.

Hence, when he woke up the next day, Elt landed himself on a profound self-reflection.

Ye Chen was poisonous. He must stay away from her. 

In order to implement this idea, the first step he did was to order someone to deliver breakfast to Ye Chen and Kyle’s room. He decided not to eat with them anymore. Ye Chen was confounded when a servant knocked on her door to deliver breakfast, “Why should I eat in my room? ”

The servant was slightly uneasy. The servant resolved to brace himself and bite the bullet, “Young Master said… He is the Master and he didn’t permit both of you to eat in the dining room.” 

To put it plainly, I don’t want to sit at the same table as you. Shoo.

Ye Chen raised her eyebrow. This wasn’t within her expectation. Elt, who always puts on a good face to cover up his real temperament, would go as far as to shoo them from the dining room out of anger?

After eating, Ye Chen learned that Elt was going out. She mulled over it and chose to tail him.

Elt went to issue an inspection report at yesterday’s Colosseum. The Colosseum was built on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. It took most of the day to reach there using a carriage. When Ye Chen arrived, it was already in the afternoon. The Colosseum, which should have been very deserted, was shrouded by many people watching it from a distance.

Even though Deca had already blocked the scene, as the most famous mage in the Imperial Capital, there were numerous individuals gathered around to watch Elt perform magic. 

Ye Chen was one of them. Initially, she came just to see Elt. But when she mingled with the crowd, she was inexplicably smitten by the sentiment of “this person is incredibly handsome“. She deemed that Elt, who closed his eyes and chanted a spell, was exceptionally good-looking. 

What Elt must accomplish was not only to perceive the existence of magic elements but also to show everyone the traces of the elements he perceives through another spell. It cost him a great amount of mental strength. When Elt fought with Ye Chen last night, his mental power was in an unstable state. Fortunately for him, he was a prodigy. At this time, he had recovered a lot of his mental strength. 

The magic elements revolved around him. He shut his eyes and sang a poetry-like spell. Golden hair swayed in the wind. People around him exclaimed in amazement.

“Young Master Elt is so handsome!”

An aunt sighed, “Such a perfect son, yet Madam Rui hates him. I really can’t comprehend his mother’s mind!”

“Madam Rui?” A girl’s curiosity was piqued, “Why does she hate her own son?”

“Because when Young Master Elt was born,” The aunt reduced her voice and whispered,  “She had difficulty giving birth. Then, someone divined that Young Master Elt would bring disaster to their family. Because of it, Madam Rui hates master Elt and is partial to her youngest son. Her wish is for her youngest son to inherit the position of Duke Lancer, but considering Young Master Elt’s status in the family, tsk tsk,” the aunt added, “As long as Young Master Elt is alive, it is impossible to achieve her wish.”

“If that is so…” Someone in the crowd joined, “Is that the reason why Young Master Elt lives alone?”

“Yes…”

The crowd gossiped about Elt’s life experience and some private news. Ye Chen became one of the listeners. Later, after seeing Elt announce that Kyle’s opponent had indeed cheated, she bid goodbye to everyone. She had no business left there.

Elt went back in a carriage, and Ye Chen followed. Because the carriage was faster, Elt quickly disappeared from Ye Chen’s vision. Ye Chen assumed they were going to meet in Elt’s house, but soon, Ye Chen met Elt and his party who were encircled by people on a small road on the outskirts. 

“I don’t get it,” She heard Elt’s quivering voice in the crowd. “As a mother, how can she bear to do this?!”

“I’m sorry. ”The man who besieged Elt sighed, “This is the Madam’s order.”

After speaking, the mob rushed towards Elt’s carriage. Elt was in the carriage, squeezing his fists.

He just utilized all his mental strength and was in a feeble state. Currently, he didn’t have his own knight, he could only rely on ordinary bodyguards for protection. As the eldest son of the Lancer family, compared to the Madam of the Lancer Family who had been in power for so many years, he was at a disadvantage. 

In his last life, he did not show his talent at an early age, so his mother tolerated him. She was not as desperate to the point of being reckless as she was now. Even in the Imperial Capital, under his father’s eyelids, she dared to move him openly.

Was she not afraid? Not afraid of being known as the person who killed her son with her own hands? Not afraid that his younger brother would be accused of killing his elder brother? Not afraid that his father would eventually divorce her out of wrath?

No, she’s not afraid.

Elt closed his eyes and trembled. For the first time, he was clearly conscious of how great of a mother his mother truly was. It’s not that she didn’t have maternal love for her sons, it’s just the object of that maternal love wasn’t him.

He had never and would never understand it. A mother, how could she be so partial to this extent towards her own sons?

Listening to the fighting outside, Elt was not without fear.

He still had so many things to do. 

He still had to take revenge on Kyle.

Yet, there was a high chance that he would be buried in this place today. 

He was not reconciled… How could he be reconciled… But, what could he do?

He tried to mobilize his mental power repeatedly, pushing his best to concentrate. Alas, he couldn’t perceive those magic elements. A mage in a state of utter exhaustion was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

Elt ground his teeth. Great despair engulfed him. Just then, someone abruptly hopped into the carriage, lifted the curtain with a sword, and stretched out a hand to him.

“Come, follow me.”

The girl was dressed in a black robe. Her snowy white hand reached out to him. With almost no hesitation, he grasped her hand and followed her out of the carriage.

Ye Chen cut off the rope connecting the horse to the carriage with a sword. She grabbed Elt and leaped to the horse. She placed Elt’s hand around her waist, and instructed seriously, “Hold me tight! ”

Elt clutched her tightly, sensing the wind roaring past his ears. The girl’s sword kept drawing blood from the people who attempted to capture them. Her face was calm and composed, giving him the courage he had lost instantly.

Wouldn’t die here.

With her, he wouldn’t die here.

Even if her stature was slender; Even if she was looked like a beautiful and dainty Young Miss, her sword contained formidable power that could him. 

An idea lingered in his mind, hovering around. He intended to get rid of such an idea, but he found it was notably tough.

Ye Chen managed to break out through the encirclement. She saw the people chasing them getting closer. The only place forward was a forest. Scurrying towards the forest and distracting them was the option she chose.

The forest wasn’t suitable for horses to run., though After running not far, Ye Chen got off of the horse with Elt and hustled into the depths of the forest.

Elt’s physical strength was poor. Ye Chen and Elt’s fingers were clasped together and it was almost the same as Ye Chen dragging him. Elt clenched his teeth and kept his silence, catching up to Ye Chen as best as he could. They were pursued to the edge of the waterfall when Ye Chen without delay jumped down with Elt in her hand.

The water hit Elt on his face. Both plunged directly into the pool below. Elt was knocked unconscious by the water pressure. Some of the water was accidentally swallowed into his stomach. 

Ye Chen hurriedly dragged him out. After dragging him to the shore, she detected that the man had passed out. She lost no time to put some pressure on his chest and pushed. Elt spit out mouthfuls of water and coughed sharply. 

Ye Chen picked him up and lifted her eyebrow. With a smirk, she said, “Finally you wake up. If you didn’t, I was planning to give you mouth-to-mouth CPR.”

“Let me… Cough… Let me down…” Elt said between his coughs. Ye Chen put him down and Elt was standing wobbly. 

Ye Chen helped him and glanced at the sky. It was late. The moonlight gleamed all over the river bank. The waterfall looked mesmerizing with a silvery brilliance under the moonlight.

Ye Chen’s entire body was drenched with water.  The people in this continent develop early. Although Ye Chen was only 13 years old, she already had some curvatures on her body.  She put the sword back on her waist and trekked into the woods. The moonlight trickled down on her. 

A waterfalls, a river, and a beautiful girl were intertwined into strangely beautiful scenery. Albeit he had just experienced a life-or-death chase, his heart was tranquil, as if he was one with the moonlight, the river, and the forest.

He was walking behind her. In spite of himself, he actually wanted to walk on the road she had walked. He wanted to follow her just like this, silently, to the end of time, outlasting even Heaven and Earth.

At the same time, he didn’t want to have such emotions. He should hate this person. She always challenged his bottom line and she had no sense of propriety. In his world, women constantly mess things up.

But he didn’t understand why. At this time, he wanted to cast aside his prejudice against Kyle and his inner pride. He wished to look at her without these distracting things.

As a matter of fact, he frankly didn’t hate her too much. On the contrary, she brought so many unspeakable and unidentified feelings. Adoration…and love.

From their first encounter, he comprehended this person was special to him. He couldn’t explain what it felt like. It’s just, there was such a person. As soon as you met that person, you would feel you have met her somewhere before.

But, this person was Kyle’s fiancee and her temperament was downright annoying.

Yet, if he put aside her identity as Kyle’s fiancee and put aside her fondness of harassing himself… He… really didn’t hate her too much.

The more so when she rolled up the curtain and reached out her hand to him. He despaired and gave up all hope. He deemed his life could only go thus far and would end right then. 

This person popped up out of nowhere and gave him a new chance at life.

Really, he couldn’t deceive himself nor conceal his feelings any longer.

With her back to him, she quietly cleared the path for him. He unconsciously remembered the feeling of stretching out his hand and holding her hand firmly when they went shopping for the first time after she saved him.

At that time, he believed he was only acting according to circumstances and trying to attract her attention. Now he looked back to that time, he discerned his racing heartbeat was real, his shyness was real, his panic was real, and his joy was also real. Why did he ever think those feelings are false?

Elt’s train of thoughts was momentarily jumbled up. He buttoned his mouth and trailed after Ye Chen without uttering a single word;

Ye Chen didn’t speak. She slashed the vines and weeds with her sword and cleared a path. They found a cave after walking for a long time. This temporary shelter was redeemed by Ye Chen with points from 38. There were some essential supplies inside it. Ye Chen faked to discover it by accident and proceeded to inspect it. 

Elt also went in. Ye Chen reasoned that this cave might be a temporary shelter for a hunter. She lit a torch and took off her coat. She twisted the water on it and dried it near the fire.

Elt was aware that if he didn’t take his coat off, he would be prone to get sick. Therefore, he wasn’t too fastidious about his clothing. He took it off and left only a pair of underpants on himself. He dried it near the fire.

Ye Chen knew that a noble Young Master like him would have never done this kind of work. She offered a hand, “I will twist it for you.”

“No need.” Elt refused. He bowed his head and twisted his clothes. He twisted clumsily and strenuously. Ye Chen was giggling watching him. She sat next to him, raised her hand, and snatched the clothes. She showed him, “You have to twist it in the opposite direction, here,” She grasped his hand and taught him to twist his clothes, “Twist in the opposite direction.”

Elt didn’t reply. He gazed at her quietly.

The girl near the fire was exceptionally soft, her voice was not too loud nor too small, which let people feel peaceful. It was like there was a lamp on a long road, emitting a warm light in the night.

He stared at her blankly, not hearing what Ye Chen said. He only saw her lips open and close. He abruptly had an inexplicable impulse. He wanted to kiss her.

He did not act on his impulse, though.

In his last life, he only lived to the age of 19. All his life experience was not enough to sustain his shyness that belong to a young man alone.

Seeing that he didn’t react, Ye Chen spun her head and met the boy’s blank gaze. She chuckled, “If you continue to look at me like that, I will think you want to kiss me. ”

Her words returned Elt’s senses. He immediately scoffed and turned his face away.

Ye Chen shrugged helplessly. She had long known that this young man had a terrible temper.

The two of them wrung out their clothes together and hung them near the fire.

As a girl, it went without question that she couldn’t take off all her clothes like Elt does. Hence, she sat near the fire to warm her body.

Elt had always been highly sought after by others. His character was less talkative because, generally, others would take the initiative to talk to him. He simply needed to respond. Before, when he got along with Ye Chen, he deliberately acted gently. Now, he didn’t want to be deliberate. He wanted to face her as the truest Elt, the real him, and talk to her.

The problem was he didn’t know how to start a conversation with people. He thought about it seriously and started, “How come you can use magic that day? You can use magic so why do you choose to become a swordsman?”

After speaking, Elt regretted it. He sounded a lot like Learning God^[2] instead of a person trying to get closer to the girl he liked.

Luckily for him, Ye Chen was very interested in the topic and devotedly explain Spiritual Power to him. Elt was also interested in hearing it, so he thoughtfully listened to her.

After listening for some time, he noticed some abnormal blushes formed on Ye Chen’s face. Her speech also slowed down, as if she was having a difficult time talking. Elt scrunched his brows. He stood up and strode to her. He touched her forehead, only to find that she had a high fever.

“You have a high fever.” He opened his mouth with sureness, Ye Chen nodded, but, honestly, she couldn’t feel anything, “It’s all right. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

At this time, her clothes were a little damp. Elt’s robe was already dry. He decisively said, “You change into my clothes. ”

“Mn?” Ye Chen was surprised, “Don’t you dislike me?”

Elt was the type of person that was awfully nitpicky. He grew impatient in a beat, “I let you wear it so just wear it. Why do you talk so much?”

Ye Chen hurriedly lifted her hands and made a gesture of surrender.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Ye Chen placated, “I got it. I will wear it.”

With that said, Ye Chen stood up, Elt handed her the clothes, turned his back to her, and assured her, “You can change, I won’t look. ”

Ye Chen hummed and she started changing her clothes. The matter of changing clothes depleted most of Ye Chen’s strength. After she changed, she was evidently not in a good state. Without talking, Elt made a simple bed out of a haystack. He brought the thin quilt in the cave, and tucked Ye Chen in.

Ye Chen knew she was in a bad state and didn’t refuse his help. Elt sat by her side, facing the fire, “Go to sleep.”

Ye Chen glipmsed at his back. The back was clearly a 13-year-old boy’s back, but the person was like a man, providing her a sense of safety.

She blamed her confused thought on her sickness. Her gaze moved to the moonlight outside, she said gently, “Let’s sleep together.”

Elt blushed. He rejected it with a bite, “I don’t want to sleep with you.”

“It’s cold at night,” stated Ye Chen, who was very demure at the moment. Her voice was weak. “Bear with me. When I get better tomorrow, we will go together. So, don’t get sick. The firewood can burn for a long time. You don’t need to watch over it. “

Elt weighed. On the one hand, he didn’t like sleeping with others. On the other hand, while he was aware of the differences between men and women and it’s not good to share a bed with her, he knew that if he got sick, they woudln’t be able to return tomorrow. That situation would be even worse than their current predictament.

As a result, he reluctantly got into the quilt. Ye Chen found it a little funny when he distanced himself as far as he could from her.

She was tired, but she didn’t want to sleep. She despised being sick. It reminded her of many unpleasant memories. Hence, even though she was tired, she still said, “Elt, talk to me. ”

“I refuse. I don’t want to talk to you.” Elt viewed the girl, who was facing the fire, sleeping sideways, trying to make room for him. Elt couldn’t help but feel pity toward her.

Ye Chen listened to his voice and perceived her chaotic mind becoming much calmer. She continued, “Please. You can talk about anything. I like listening to your voice.”

“If you are sick, sleep. Why talk?” Elt gave her a cold-shoulder. Ye Chen was dazed when she heard his question. 

Why?

She asked herself and recalled her childhood.

“When I was a child, I was always alone.” She started slowly, “My parents were far away. They were not by my side.”

During her childhood, both of her parents went to work outside. Children like Ye Chen were the so-called left-behind children^[3]. She grew up in a large family. Everyone else had parents, only she didn’t.

“Everyone has their parents beside them. They were entrusted to their grandparents, just like me, because during the day their parents had to go to work. But when it’s night, their parents would come to pick them up, but mine wouldn’t. ”

“They wouldn’t be beaten because they had the protection of their parents. Any relatives who wanted to beat them had to take their parents into account, but when it came to me, they didn’t have to.”

Thus, her aunt, uncle, and everyone else had the right to use “It’s all for your own good” to ‘educate’ her. At day, she would be scolded by her second aunt. At noon, she would be scolded by her youngest uncle. And at night, she would be scolded by her grandmother.

All the love she got was several times that of other children and so was her burdens.

For this reason, since childhood, she learned to observe words and emotions of others and learned how to deal with different people.

Her eldest aunt preferred sweet-tounged children, her second aunt preferred quiet children, her third uncle preferred children who liked to read books, her youngest uncle preferred clever children……

She was acutely aware of other people’s emotions. Whether they were happy or upset. She would suit herself to their emotions to please them.

She did everything she could to survive in that narrow space she called home. She kept telling herself that she possessed the love of many people. She was the same as other children, or even better, because many people loved her.

“But such fantasies are always shattered when one gets sick.”

“No one would patiently take care of me. They would beg and ask for leave if it were their own children, but if it were me, even if I broke my head and bled, they would instead argue with each other about who should take me to the doctor. ”

“After seeing a doctor and taking medicine, they would consider it done and let me sleep by myself. No one would care about the aftermath.”

“At that time, I was alone. I was having a hard time by myself. I can no longer comfort myself with ‘I am doing well and am lucky because so many people love me’.”

“I had to face a very cruel fact –“

“I only have myself.”

After her grandparents passed away when she was in junior high school, it became all the more evident.

She went to school by herself. She prepared her meal by herself.  And when she got sick, she only had herself.

Once, she had a high fever and went to the hospital to get an infusion. When she woke up, there was no one beside her except for her wardmate.

Once, she fainted and was taken to the hospital by passersby. When she woke up, there was no one beside her except for the nurse who asked her to pay the bill.

“So, I hate, really hate getting sick.”

“I don’t like it when I get sick and only have myself. I want someone to accompany me and talk to me…”

Before she finished speaking, the person behind her stretched out his hand and embraced her in his arms.

The embrace was so warm and the heartbeat was so calming. He held her with ease, “Stop talking. It’s annoying.”

He continued in a soft voice, “You are not alone this time.”

“I’m here.”

Elt slowly spoke. Tremendous tender and protective feelings flowed into his heart and made him impulsively hug her. He was not sure of the reason, but he felt that he had loved this person for a lifetime in his previous life and before. The feeling was imprinted on his bones, inscribed on his memory, and carved on his heart. When he hugged her in his arms, the feeling came back and spread vastly.

He snorted and tightened his hug, as if he disdained it, “For your sake of saving me dozen of times today, I will take care of you when you get sick. You’re not alone today, and you won’t be alone in the future. Got it? Now, sleep”

“Mn…”

Ye Chen hummed and fell asleep. Elt secretly watched her and noticed that she had fallen asleep. He spoke again.

“Ye Chen,” he started in dilemma, “In fact, you are not half bad.”

Ye Chen, of course, didn’t reply. Elt carefully moved to hold her hand. His heart beat fast. He bowed his head and kissed her hair. As quickly as he kissed her, he withdrew. Seeing that she was not disturbed, his heart was complicated. There was delight and dismay. He wanted to let go of his hand. He wished to be able to honestly hug her. Eventually, he scolded himself in his heart and shut his eyes. 

In the middle of the night, Ye Chen woke up and subconsciously called, “Elt?”

Then, she heard the beat of his heart, felt the warmth of his arms, and the strength of his fingers clasping hers.

Elt was behind her, muddled.

“Stop it, I’m here.”

“Always.” 

And that was the truth. This person, regardless of the previous life or even the life before that, was always with her. And in this life, in the future, life and death, he would always be with her. 

Easing all her sorrow and soothing all her suffering.

He, from the beginning to the end, was always there.

Previous | ToC | Next

Footnotes

1. 梁静茹 –  Liáng Jìngrú, also known as Fish Leong. She has a song titled “勇气(Courage).”↵

2. In case you forgot “Learning God” is 学霸- xué bà; lit. Study King. Students who are good at learning and have high scores in each subject. Want to learn everything.↵

3. 留守儿童 – liú shǒu ér tóng; also called stay-at-home children. Children who remain in rural regions while their parents leave to work in urban areas. ↵

Ry’s Corner

“In his last life, he only lived to the age of 19. All his life experience was not enough to sustain his shyness that belong to a young man alone.“

“His determination, his sincerity, and his courage were things that seemed to belong to a young man alone.  Previously, when Jun Yan compared himself with Xie Wushuang, he never felt he had any disadvantages over him. But, at this moment, he understood, there was.” -Chapter 29.

The Villains I Raised All Have an Inferiority Complex.

Happy New Year! New Year New Resolution! May the New Year bless you with health, prosperity, and happiness!

Please consider checking ‘The Memory Lost in Space‘ in case you like a good read(feels)! I’m gonna always put this here because I’m obsessed with it! No thanks needed.

If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!

Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 4568

Support Me on Ko-Fi!