Dear, It's Time to Take Your Medicine! Chapter 9

"I could tell at a glance that you weren't human."

Those words made Donald's pupils contract violently. The worst had happened. Though he had no idea how this man had done it, Qin Chu clearly already knew he was a Demonic Beast.

He had been driven into a corner.

Either Qin Chu would drain him of all his magic power, leaving him to wither away and die.

Or he would reveal his true form and be killed by the other experts nearby.

No matter what, death seemed to be an inescapable ending.

Wadsworth frowned deeply. Though he did not like Donald, this count did not possess noble blood. He was merely a merchant whose ancestors had spent an enormous sum to purchase a noble title. In the eyes of nobles who placed immense importance on inheritance and bloodlines, such a noble was undoubtedly filthy.

But no matter what, he was still a noble under the Imperial family. They could not simply stand by and let Donald be killed by the Hero.

After a brief hesitation, Wadsworth took a step forward, preparing to stop Qin Chu.

Just then, madness suddenly flashed through Donald's eyes. One hand darted to his waist, and with a swish, he drew a sharp dagger. Its blade was coated in a deep blue poison as it stabbed straight toward Qin Chu's heart.

Evil rose in his heart, and courage followed.

He was doomed anyway. If he could take the Hero's life with him before he died, that would be a great achievement. Even in death, he would enjoy immense glory.

This scene drew cries of alarm from many people nearby.

Angelica's expression changed drastically. She lunged forward, intending to push Qin Chu away. As for what might happen to her, she no longer had the mind to consider it.

Wadsworth, Saint Monica, Augustus, and the others all reacted the same way. Whatever their true feelings toward the Hero might be, one thing was certain: they still needed the Hero's power to fight the terrifying Demonic Beasts. The Hero absolutely could not die now.

The Thirteen Sages wore equally horrified expressions. If Qin Chu were assassinated now, they would be incapable of performing another summoning within three years. By then, the entire Skyvault Continent would likely be trampled into ruin beneath the iron hooves of Demonic Beasts.

Natia's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Only Rosweisse's eyes shimmered with intense madness. Die, die, die... At this moment, she no longer cared what would become of the Skyvault Continent.

She only wanted to see Qin Chu die before her eyes.

Some experts wanted to rush to his rescue, but Qin Chu, standing right before Donald, was closer and faster. The attribute growth brought by his continuously rising level had already given Qin Chu considerable strength.

Qin Chu's right hand shot out like lightning. Just as the blade was about to pierce his chest, it abruptly stopped, less than an inch from his heart.

His wrist had been caught. No matter how desperately Donald struggled, the dagger could not advance even half an inch farther.

That tiny distance was an impassable chasm for Donald. The glory of assassinating the Hero was right before his eyes, yet Donald would never attain it.

The next second, Qin Chu suddenly exerted force with his arm. With a crack, Donald's wrist was twisted cleanly apart.

The agonizing pain made Donald let out a miserable scream. It was shrill and hoarse, a sound no human could make. His entire body shook violently.

Then Qin Chu twisted his wrist. Donald's broken hand, along with the dagger he held, spun with the motion. With a hiss, the blade tore open Donald's throat. A savage gash appeared across his neck, and thick milky-white fluid sprayed out at once, splattering the ground with sticky patches.

The lavish banquet hall was filled with the tempting fragrance of carefully prepared food, but the instant that milky-white fluid sprayed forth, the entire hall was immediately engulfed by an intense, fishy stench that completely overwhelmed the aroma of the food.

Who knew how many young noble ladies felt their flat stomachs churn violently? Forgetting all about noble decorum, they rushed to the corners and began vomiting. That smell was simply too revolting.

As his throat was torn open, Donald's life came to an end. Without magic power to sustain it, his Shapeshifting rapidly came undone as well.

Beneath the magnificent formalwear remained only a long, cylindrical object. Thick milky-white mucus continued to flow from under the clothes.

At this point, anyone could tell there was something strange about Donald.

Wadsworth frowned and gave the guards beside him a look. The guards quickly stepped forward, enduring their nausea as they pulled aside the formalwear.

When they saw the thing beneath it, every one of them could not help but suck in a cold breath.

What kind of grotesque creature was that? It was a milky-white worm.

It was twenty centimeters in diameter and around one meter long. Through its translucent skin, thick milky-white fluid could be clearly seen. A long wound ran across its body, with liquid constantly flowing out. Its wrinkled skin continued to squirm without pause. It looked, damn it, exactly like a gigantic maggot. Only at its upper end was there a slit that seemed to be its mouth, filled with sharp teeth like spiral saw blades.

That thing was not frightening, but it was utterly disgusting.

"Phantom Demon..." Saint Monica frowned deeply. Beneath her pure white formalwear, even her flat stomach rose and fell slightly. Clearly, she was not feeling well either.

"How did you discover it?" Compared with Donald's identity as a Demonic Beast, Augustus cared more about this. Even the three strongest among them had failed to detect Donald's true identity, yet the newly summoned Hero had recognized at a glance that Donald was not human.

That made Augustus more wary of Qin Chu.

They wanted to use the Hero's power to fight Demonic Beasts, but that did not mean they wholly accepted the Hero's existence. The Hero was hope, but he was also a threat.

Everyone's eyes focused on Qin Chu. They all wanted to know what exactly had happened.

Qin Chu remained perfectly at ease, calmly facing everyone's gazes as he delivered the lines he had prepared long ago. "Because I possess two Transcendent Authorities. One of them is Ally of Justice."

"As long as I walk the path of justice, my strength will continuously grow."

"At the same time, this Authority gives me an extraordinarily keen perception of Demonic Beasts. As long as any Demonic Beast approaches me, I can detect it immediately. I can even see its strength and weaknesses..."

The Authority known as Ally of Justice had never appeared on the Sky Continent before. Qin Chu could make up whatever nonsense he wanted, and these people would have no way to verify it!

The moment those words came out, everyone present was shocked!

Transcendent Authorities were exceedingly rare.

Moreover, their effects were incredibly powerful. Saint Monica, Augustus, and Wadsworth had only attained their current strength and status because they each possessed a Transcendent Authority.

Among the Thirteen Sages, only the youngest, Natia, possessed a Transcendent Authority.

Even Jello, the First-Generation Hero, had possessed only one Transcendent Authority, yet his strength had completely surpassed that of the Pope and the High Priest.

Yet Qin Chu possessed two Transcendent Authorities. That was far too outrageous.

Other than the Thirteen Sages, everyone was astonished by Qin Chu's talent. Augustus, Saint Monica, and Wadsworth exchanged glances, each seeing the caution in the others' eyes. This was not a sight they wished to see. Being able to fight Demonic Beasts was good, but a Hero with two Transcendent Authorities would definitely not be easy to control.

The others, however, clearly had not thought that far ahead. After their brief shock, cheers like mountains collapsing and seas roaring erupted throughout the banquet hall.

"Two Transcendent Authorities—he's incredible! There has never been anyone like this in Skyvault Continent's history."

"Worthy of being the Hero."

"He has more talent than the First-Generation Hero."

"Now Skyvault Continent is saved. Those damn Demonic Beasts will definitely all be exterminated."

"Hope is right before us."

Those cheers like mountains collapsing and seas roaring, those excited, twisted faces—in Qin Chu's eyes, they gradually overlapped with the scene of his execution in his first life. How similar they were.

The difference was that one side had cheered over killing him, while the other rejoiced that he could save them.

The smile on Qin Chu's face grew ever brighter. He opened his arms as though he were about to embrace something.

"Celebrate..."

"I promise I will bring Skyvault Continent..."

"Eternal tranquility!"

The second update, three thousand words delivered.

The Rotten World

The banquet ended amid people's cheers, their faces brimming with hope.

Wadsworth prepared a luxurious carriage for Qin Chu and carefully selected several dozen experts from the Imperial City Guard to escort him to the palace residence.

Angelica followed beside the carriage, seemingly intending to leave with Qin Chu. She was now Qin Chu's personal maid, and Qin Chu was her master.

However, Augustus did not want Angelica to leave just like that.

"Angelica, wait a moment."

Angelica's body trembled slightly. Her face was still pale as she turned to look at the Pope behind her. Intelligent as she was, Angelica already knew what would happen next.

"Hero, Angelica still has some personal belongings at the Church that she needs to return and pack up. Would that be alright?" Augustus asked Qin Chu for his opinion with a smile.

Though Qin Chu's power was still far too weak compared with theirs, Augustus, Wadsworth, and Saint Monica all showed him absolute respect.

Because they all knew just how great the Hero's potential was. If they acted too arrogantly now and left a bad impression in the Hero's heart, it would do them no good at all.

Qin Chu naturally understood what Augustus wanted to do. It was nothing more than brainwashing Angelica, hoping she could replace Rosweisse and control him. He nodded lightly. "Of course."

After all, he had already embarrassed this old bastard once. If he did it again, no one would look good. For now, he still needed to keep his head down and develop.

Besides, even if he stopped it this time, he could not stay beside Angelica every moment of every day. Augustus would have countless chances to find her. Since that was the case, he might as well give the old bastard some face.

Qin Chu waved at Angelica and walked toward the carriage. When he reached it, his gaze suddenly fell on a figure nearby.

It was a young man with a tall, robust build. Even through his armor, one could sense his explosive muscles. He was handsome and held a sharp spear in his hand.

Though he still had a trace of youthful immaturity, that face had already overlapped with someone in Qin Chu's memory.

"What is your name?"

"Reporting to Lord Hero, I am Nicholas, captain of an Imperial City Guard cavalry squad. By His Majesty's order, I have been assigned to protect Lord Hero's safety. Please rest assured, Lord Hero. I will never allow any Demonic Beast to harass you again." The young officer immediately stood ramrod straight, saluted, and replied in a clear voice.

He was an outstanding young man. Even before a Hero with two Transcendent Authorities, he remained neither servile nor overbearing.

Though Qin Chu did not know this young man's exact level, he could sense that Nicholas was very strong. At the very least, he should have reached the Grand Knight rank.

By level, Knights ranged from level 1 to 20, Grand Knights from 21 to 40, Berserker Knights from 41 to 60, and King Knights from 61 to 80.

Above level 80 were Title Knights, of the same rank as Grand Sages. Every Knight above level 80 could receive a unique title.

Then, according to the number and quality of the Authorities and martial techniques mastered by a Knight, each rank was further divided into one-star, two-star, and three-star tiers.

Though Grand Knights were only in the second sequence, their actual strength was already quite impressive. People at this level could more or less be considered this world's main fighting force.

Considering how young this man was, he could certainly be called highly talented. If he trained diligently in the future, he might not be unable to become a Berserker Knight, or even a King Knight.

"You are skilled with a spear?" Qin Chu seemed very interested in Nicholas and asked with a smile.

Nicholas did not know what about him had attracted Lord Hero's attention, but he still nodded honestly in response to the Hero's question.

Qin Chu's fingers slid upward along the shaft of the spear. The spearhead was sharp and cold. With a flick of his finger, his nail struck the tip with a crisp ring.

"Have you ever used this spear to pierce through a person's body? What did that feel like?" Qin Chu tilted his head and asked with great interest.

Nicholas was somewhat bewildered. He did not understand why Lord Hero would ask such a strange question.

"My apologies, but I do not know. The spear in my hand exists only to protect the residents of the Imperial City. It will only be pointed at Demonic Beasts, never humans."

"However, I have used this spear many times to pierce the bodies of Demonic Beasts. I imagine the feeling should be about the same."

"I see."

Qin Chu said nothing more. He merely turned and climbed into the carriage. Nicholas also found Qin Chu's behavior somewhat puzzling, but he did not think much of it. After Qin Chu boarded, he immediately arranged for his men to line up on both sides and escort the Hero to the palace residence.

Inside the carriage, Qin Chu narrowed his eyes to slits. A cold glint flickered deep within them.

Nicholas.

Though he still looked very young now, seven years later, it would be this young Knight—the one who claimed he only pointed his spear at Demonic Beasts—who impaled a girl whose legs had been severed and who could only sit in a wheelchair upon his spear tip. He let her hang from the point in agonizing struggle, writhing and wailing as blood flowed like a river.

And he had laughed uproariously with his brothers nearby, admiring the girl's twisting limbs and pained expression.

All because that girl had spoken a single sentence in defense of the executed Hero.

What could have happened in seven years to make this Knight change so drastically?

Through the carriage window, Qin Chu stared out at this world. Two round moons hung in the sky, bringing twice the light. Silver-white moonlight blanketed the earth like a layer of frost.

The night wind was biting, and the leaves rustled.

One luxurious carriage after another passed by. They belonged to nobles returning to their estates after attending the banquet. Every ten meters, magical lamps gave off a gentle glow.

Even in the dead of night, the Imperial City's inner district held none of the feeling of nighttime.

Those magic crystals were extremely valuable alchemical materials that could be used to make excellent magical weapons. Each was worth roughly one thousand Mana, more than a family of three commoners spent in a year. Yet here, they could only serve as lighting. It was said this was to keep nobles from falling while walking at night.

Skyvault Continent was clearly under attack from Demonic Beasts, yet within this Imperial City, there was no trace of that atmosphere. This place was, in every sense, paradise.

In the inner city, uneaten food from banquets was dumped away pile after pile by workers and gathered for destruction.

In the outer city, ragged orphans fought fiercely over a chicken drumstick that had not even been fully gnawed clean.

One wall, the boundary between heaven and hell.

This rotten world might as well end sooner.

Of course, Qin Chu did not feel much pity for those commoners either. In his first life, Qin Chu had pitied them. Yet when he was executed, they had been the loudest among the watching crowd below.

Qin Chu could not forget the sight of those people shouting excitedly with twisted faces, hurling rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs at his body.

This world was rotten from top to bottom, rotten to its very roots.

Perhaps there were still a few scattered people who remained kind, but like a single match amid a raging blizzard, how much warmth could they provide?