Chapter 188

"So, if you want us to help you provide Liz with the necessary conditions to recuperate, and also to procure professional medical equipment, pharmacists, and doctors, my answer is, yes, we can."

"But—you have to exchange it for something."

"What's the meaning."

"It means..."

The Doctor sat to one side and spoke quietly.

"You must cooperate with us unconditionally, whether it's intelligence gathering or combat-related needs, you must obey us unconditionally."

"In other words."

The Doctor waved towards the door, then pointed at Skadi.

The latter seemed to understand something. Under Zuo Jian's watchful gaze, she jogged along and then retrieved a strangely shaped sword from a corner.

That was the sword of the Confessors.

Just then, the Doctor gestured for Zuo Jian to come in.

The latter took the sword Skadi handed her with a puzzled look, then glanced at Laurentina, who was holding her tightly to the side.

Laurentina seemed to realize something too... After hesitating for a moment, she finally let go of Zuo Jian's hand, but her gaze remained fixed on his back, as if she would pounce on him if there was any further movement.

Then, the white-haired Confessors froze on the spot as she saw the deceased demon king, carrying his sword, slowly walk towards her.

"Teresa... Your Highness..."

Even knowing that the body didn't contain that person's soul, the other person's demeanor still made her murmur involuntarily.

"Hey, hey, hey, why did you let me in? Won't my posture interfere with the conversation?" Zuo Jian maintained his gentle smile, but kept glancing at the Doctor with questioning eyes.

'It will affect the process, not the result, and that's exactly what we need you to do now!'

"Of course, there's another reason—I can't lift that sword you're holding."

'Then why didn't you let Skadi come...?'

"You... are not His Highness... but I remember, you killed Kuisatushta and saved me and Liz ..." The Confessors lowered his head slightly, seemingly unwilling to look directly at the other person's face.

He killed Kuisatushta and saved her and Liz.

Zuo Jian thought for a moment after hearing this.

In other words, aren't they in cahoots with that group of black-robed cult members?

"The princess you mentioned is here too, but she can't speak for the time being."

Although Zuo Jian did not dispel his doubts, his expression towards the Confessors improved slightly.

"Then, make your choice, madam. I think the answer is already quite obvious, isn't it?" The Doctor stood to the side, gesturing for Zuo Jian to extend his hand and hand over the longsword.

The latter sighed, but then followed the Doctor's instructions and held the other person's longsword horizontally in front of her.

"Yes... the answer is already obvious." The Confessors knew that she had only this one choice at this moment.

After saying that, she reached out and took the longsword handed to her with both hands.

He then lowered his head and slowly began to speak.

"During Liz's recovery period... I will..."

"I pledge my allegiance to you... Special..."

"Zuo Jian, just call me Zuo Jian. That name belongs to Ms. Theresa."

"Understood, Zuo Jian."

(Hey hey hey?? Dude, I just woke up and he's turned into a girl?! I'm referring to each one...)

Those few days a month mean there are always a few days when I don't want to work or write! Don't subconsciously associate them with strange things!!!

Chapter Twenty-Four, Zuo Jian's Resolve

At this moment, in the best-lit guest room in the mansion, the white-haired Confessors was holding Liz's fair hand tightly, feeling her faint pulse.

"Speaking of which, it seems we haven't introduced ourselves yet. Although Zuo Jian is the boss here, I'm the one who actually makes the judgments and gives you orders~ So, I think you don't mind if we get along well, right?" The Doctor walked into the room, stood next to the girl, and extended his hand.

"Doug Te, or you can just call me Doctor, whatever you prefer."

"... The Shining."

"It doesn't sound like a real name."

"Like the title 'Doctor'?"

"Haha~ How rude of you! To me, this is no different from your real name." The Doctor chuckled and scratched his head, his tone showing no anger.

"I'm sorry, I—" Shining lowered her head and didn't face the Doctor, but she was interrupted by the Doctor patting her on the shoulder before she could say more than a few words.

"Alright, I didn't mean anything by it. I just came over to chat with you for a bit. You can stay here and keep Liz for now. As for our matter, there's nothing urgent at the moment..." The Doctor stood up and said in a relaxed manner.

I guess so.

A few minutes later, in a slightly larger room on the second floor.

"The Shining, the woman who escaped with Liz from the group that calls itself the Confessors, has given us some more information about herself and Liz, but more about—"

The Doctor paused here, then glanced at "Theresa," or rather, Zuo Jian, who was facing him.

At this moment, Laurentina seemed to have calmed down considerably, regaining her usual composure, and sat quietly on the Zuo Jian side of the room... If one could ignore the glances she made to the Zuo Jian every few seconds, one would probably think she had truly calmed down.

"Theresa, the leader of the Sarkaz known as the Demon Lord—we'll leave her aside for now. The key point is that the actions of the Confessors are not under the control of the current ruling faction in Kazdel, the one called the Military Commission. In other words, their actions should be unrelated to Kazdel's will."

"That's understandable. If that's the case, then there was no need for that Bloodfiend Great Lord named Duhkare to order the Sarkaz who infiltrated Londinium to retreat completely."

"Now that we've figured these things out, the issues we need to address are much clearer, Zuo Jian." The Doctor stood up and looked at the woman who remained seated without saying a word.

"Your current state will make things very difficult, especially... as you said yourself, it's even hard for you to control the flesh and blood in this body."

At this point, Zuo Jian nodded with a wry smile.

In the final moments of his battle with Laurentina, he lost control of even the last remaining parts of his flesh, presumably because Laurentina had accidentally absorbed them before he lost consciousness.

"Zuo Jian, can you find a way to escape?"

Faced with the Doctor's question, Zuo Jian seemed to recall the scene he had witnessed earlier.

Even now, he could feel his consciousness could crush the fragile and gentle soul within him at any moment...

Is she Theresa?

Although he was called the Demon King, he gave off a feeling of... fragility, like a delicate flower.

If nothing unexpected happens, his own consciousness, Theresa's consciousness, and that being called the Collective Souls form a delicate triangular balance. To break free, he would probably have to break this balance.

But the Collective Souls were frantically avoiding his senses, so far, apart from Theresa was right next to him... he couldn't find any way to escape for the time being.

Perhaps if he were given more time, until he adapted to this strange feeling of three forces coexisting, he could find a way to expose the Collective Souls that had been hiding from him, but...

It's clear that time is running out.

Zuo Jian sighed, then slowly addressed the Doctor's question.

"I can break free of this body, but... I refuse to do so."

"What... Zuo Jian..." Laurentina was stunned, seemingly not expecting the other party to say such a thing.

However, after she looked at Zuo Jian, the latter slowly revealed his reason.

"If I try to break free quickly... I'll hurt that woman Theresa."

"I'm sorry... Laurentina, I can't do it. To have someone who has already passed away brought back to the world after death and subjected to soul-crushing torment again... I can't accept that."

Not to mention...

I can feel it on the Zuo Jian.

How gentle is the other person's soul...

Why do these kinds of hardships always befall people like this?

I cannot understand it, nor will I ignore it.

"Is that so... Zuo Jian ... I understand." Laurentina leaned against Zuo Jian's side, looking at the resolute gaze on his profile, and realized that he seemed to have never changed, and was still the Zuo Jian she had first met.

As if she had made up her mind, she turned to the Doctor, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Doctor, is there any other way? If there's anything I can do, I'll be there—"

"Stop, stop, stop! Even if you say that, there's nothing I can do. I'm only half a doctor, and this kind of thing is clearly not the domain of psychiatrists. If you really want to say something, this type of problem should be left to wizards who know witchcraft."

"Witchcraft...?"

Zuo Jian was taken aback, seemingly understanding what the Doctor meant.

"You mean, try to find a solution from Shining?"

"To be clear... I don't actually trust her, although right now, the only way to resolve these issues in the short term is to rely on Shining, who used to be Confessors."

The Doctor stood up and spoke in a somewhat cold tone.

"The choice is yours, Zuo Jian. At least from my personal perspective, I don't agree with the proposal. If I had to say, if you can come up with a better solution after adapting for a while, I think this is the most suitable and safest option." As she said this, not only her, but also Laurentina beside her had concern for Zuo Jian in her eyes.

Indeed, if we're not looking to quickly resolve the current situation, waiting for a period of adjustment is the safest option... but...

Kazdel, Warwick Earldom, Wellington, Tarans.

There are so many things that need him.

Laurentina might be able to temporarily change her appearance to resemble him, but Zuo Jian couldn't entrust all of this to her... He was worried about Laurentina.

He must make a comeback in a short period of time.

"I understand, Zuo Jian. In that case, I respect your choice."

"As for Shining..."

"She didn't lie when she recounted Liz's past," Zuo Jian said, glancing at the Doctor.

"I could sense... her emotional fluctuations."

"Emotional... fluctuations? Wait, is it because of this body?"

"Perhaps, but at least in this respect, I think she is trustworthy."

Faced with Zuo Jian's insistence, the Doctor sighed, and then also chose to believe him.

"You want to expel the Collective Souls from this body?"

Shining, standing outside Liz's room, looked at Zuo Jian, the Doctor, and Laurentina, seemingly deep in thought.

"To be honest, it's a crazy idea, but almost impossible to achieve."

"No matter how strong Sarkaz's will is, they cannot escape being swept away when facing the Collective Souls. I'm sure you've learned something about this from Her Highness... that is, Her Highness Theresa's situation."

"However..." Shining looked at Zuo Jian in Zuo Jian of her, at his pale blue pupils.

"I can give it a try. Perhaps you are an exception, but I hope you won't have too high expectations, after all, there's very little I can do."

"Please." Zuo Jian bowed slightly, conveying his meaning.

Shining seemed to be frightened by the other party's posture, and even subconsciously took two steps back.

"No... you don't need to... Alright, Lord Zuo Jian, I will do my best to find a way."

"However, just in case, before that, two people will need to accompany you as you delve into the space of consciousness, otherwise you might get lost in it."

After speaking, Zuo Jian subconsciously glanced at Laurentina standing next to him and said softly.

"If I said I was worried you might be in danger, Laurentina, what would you...?"

"No." Laurentina's words were firm and unwavering.

"I'll... worry about you too!"

"... Is that so? I understand. Then, Doctor, you—"